ALLEGED PROFITEERING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 24, 23 October 1920, Page 10

ALLEGED PROFITEERING

SALE OF A KITCHEN TABLE.By Telegraph-Proas Asaoclatlon.. Dunklin, October 22. Hofoijj thci Magistrate's Court l"o-tluy, Biaoli ami M'Lennan wera charged with on May 12 selling a kitchen table at a price ivhich was unreasonably high. Dr. A. S. Adams prosecuted, and Mr. S. Solomon, K.C.,' appeared for thjj defendants, wlio pleaded not guilty. ' Mr. Adams said the prosecution was brought under section 32 of the Board cf Trade Act, 1010. The kitchen table ( v«s odd for .£2 7s. (Id., and was tfto common variety of tablp, its measurements being 4ft. Gjn. by 2ft. Bill, The facta were that « Mrs. MTarlajie went to Messrs. Hiach and M'Lennan's to buy a table. She saw Mr. M'Lennan, one' of the directors and manager of the company. She saw a , table cjf the kind slto wanted, but was told she could not have it because it belonged to a-.£2000 order received from Oamaru. Whea she called about a week Inter tho tabic* was still thore, and whs told thw would make a similar fable for her. She was charged .£2 7s. Gd. tur the tabic whicln was delivered to her. "What the prosecution had to show was that tho price was unreasonably high, and that it yielded, more than a tair commoreial profit to the seller. The cost of tho tabic to defendant was 305., Uss ■* per cent,, which, brought it to £1 os. M-, and the price chared ,« "■ «*:' which mado a very high rate of pioi t. The average addition lor gross proht m ttetUfe noticed S3 The actual prides of tables of a siiTi hi kind in Dunedin. on tho day ot tho sale price charged elsewhere k>s>-than he. price charged Iff the dofendnnt. ■ Bvi<J|'iiCß called by tho prosecut o tables w«w retailed in Ptumdin at 3(is. to ,!/s. Gd. Kenneth M'Lennan, one of the (ors of the firm, said that so far a* u, "nen.bered, Mrs. M'l'arlane on the first occasion, had a. general look rou U. No price was quoted for anything On the second tme s« asked about v Htohen table. He told her that they did deh was part of an order her she could not have it, as it was u See Unreadiness to « fent awaj. lh. manauer said he would try to get liei r'i„ fct ut I t f l^,r^wa of flint time. He told Mrs. Jiuar lnne thotVcouW iM « table right away hat would have to replace another We and that, being a special order, it would cost a 'few shillings extra. She w told that a special charge'foi ««t age would have to be paid lor ft b Wit article like that. That was. tho .usual nraciice Mrs. MGFnrlane was m a mv for the table. If she had been Sa y redto\vait no extra charge would havo had to be made IVt'wion was reserved. ■ In heU> of Henry Herbert Driver bouU ler, charged with selling a geogr phy 'book at an unreasonably high mve Mr. Callan, appearing for the Board of Trade, aaia he Mid received a ISt to" asking the Courts permission to withdraw/the charge. This attitude of the Board of Trade was. the result, ot tho recent decision in the Court ot Apne 1 a- applying to Driver's case, the Kid%avlnVi*tWng f left inithe case except the question of- a mistake in tie price that was put on the book, the board had no reason to doubt the statement that a mistake had been made. Defendant's counsel (Mr Hay) applied for costs. Defendant was not, he said, responsible for the board taking a wrong view of the law. . Mr. Callnn opposed this. The Magistrate saul it could not. be stated that the law was at M ce««n until the 'Full Court had given its decision, He would not grant costs.