WORK COMPLETED

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 212, 2 June 1921, Page 6

WORK COMPLETED

PRICE INVESTIGATION TRIBUNALS

MINISTER’S SUMMARY OF RESULTS

“With, the change in the conditions of trade, the need of price investigation tribunals has naturally passed away,’’ eaid the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. E. P. Leo) yesterday. "Thesir establishment was necessitated ■ by the abnormal conditions due to the . war, particularly by the demand, which ; greatly exceeded the supply of goods. The position to-day in many lines of I oommodities, including a number of neccsI «aries, is that supply has overtaken demand and prwes aro inevitably falling. , "The reports of the four tribunals show that they worked diligently, intelligently, and conscientiously to discharge ' faithfully their very difficult duties. They ■ were practically in the position of buffers between consumers and traders. Some-consumers alleged that the tribunals ! were not exerting themselves to check ‘ profiteering; some traders asserted that ; the tribunals were interfering too much with the business of wholesalers and retailers. One side declared that the tri- : bunals were'not pressing hard enough; the other replied that they were too in--1 quisitive. A reasonable consideration of the two opposing views will convince any ‘ impartial student of the facts that the tribunals were strictly fair to both sides. The members have well ‘earned the Do- '■ minion’s thanks for their helpful work, as set out in the reports covering the activities from the time of the establishment of the tribunals in the middle ef March, 1920, to March 31, 1921.

1 "The total of complaints received was <1479, distributed thus: — Auckland City and country districts 56G Wellington City and country dis-

tricts 421 Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, and, Westland 2fio Otago and. Southland ..-'• 232 "These figures include cases that were under consideration at March 31. Ihe striking feature of the figures is the aggregate of 902 cases which were dismissed because investigation showed that the prices were not unreasonable. In ISO additional cases the complaints were written off because there was not sufficient evidence to prove that they were justified. Refunds, and adjustments totalled 222. The provincial details are: bD j • • .5 0.0 rM t 0 Refunds and adjustments 115 SO 17 10 Dismissed (not Unreasonable prices) 274 271 198 159 .Written off (not sufficient evidence) 85 10 28 36 "The complaints were principally in regard to food, housing (including rent, fuel, and repairs), clothing, drapery, boots and shoes. Quoting these in three groups, the percentages of those complaints in the totals for the four tribunals are:— 60 < • .5 o . o' 11 3 s « ■3l 53 5 Pood 26.5 38.48 > 28.07 35.34 Housing ... 20.85 20.19 23.08 18.10 Apparel ... 18.20 19.24 14.23 20.25 "There were elovon successful prosecutions comprising two in Auckland, two in Wellington, two in Christchurch, and five in Dunedin. This number does not, of course, give anything like an adequate indication of the tribunals’ usefulness in the checking of excessive charging for goods. There is abundant evidence that the activities of the tribunals helped materially to keep prices within reasonable bounds. The following extracts from official reports of the four, tribunals for the period under review give a clear view of the range of work, its impartiality, and its usefulness :— "Auckland: 'The decisions given in favour of traders demonstrate that the buying public did not always appreciate the changed economic conditions which followed immediately on the war. Thus the tribunal assisted in no

Biiiall degree in quelling the bitterness shown towards traders by many people who were suffering’ hardship brought about by the high cost of living. “Wellington: 'There have been only four complainants who expressed dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s- decisions. On the files are many letters of thanks from defendanlts and complainants both for the direct and indirect benefits obtained through the agency of 'the tribunal.* "Canterbury: ‘The tribunal has throughout ail ita activities recognised that it had a duty to the traders and business people as well ns to the consumer, and therefore has endeavoured on the evidence before it to make a reasonable and equitable decision to both parties.’ "Otago: 'The tribunal has ample evidence that its work has been beneficial to the consumer. The work of the tribunal has brought prominently before the business community the question of costing commodities and the importance of fixing the selling prices so that an Intelligent reason can be given for the percentage of profit obtained.* "There is an impression among sections of the public that the end fff the Price Investigation Tribunals means the end of the Boa.rd of Trade. Any such impression overlooks the fact that there is the Department of Industries and Oomimeroe, for which the Board of Trade and its officers ■ have been the personnel for one set of functions due to war conditions. The other functions, concerned with very ... important constructive work in the interests of industries and trade, will demand full employment of all the time and energy released by the change in trading conditions. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and: the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association, at their annual conferences this year, expressed their confidence that an energetic, careful-ad-minfstratkm of the Act would bo very beneficial to the Dominion.”