Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 17 August 1931, Page 4

The long awaited Trading Coupons Bill, which had suffered several delays on. account of difficulties in drafting, prohibiting the use of trading coupons which can be redeemed for gifts, the Bill does not prevent traders making gifts to purchasers for their goods. Its provisions are confined only to the issue and redemption,of trading coupons in connection with the sale and purchase of goods. . With respect to these coupons, the Bills prohibits their issue after the passing of the Act by ally persons other than manufacturers, packers, importers, dist’ibutors and sellers of goods. It provides that after April 30, 1.932, trading coupons shall he redeemable only for money up to that date (unless their issue, was in contravention of the Trading Stamps Prohibition and Discount Stamps Issue Act, 1908), Trading coupons may be redeemed in accordance with tho terms of their issue. It restricts their redemption after that date to the issuer of the coupons and to the seller of the goods. It is proposed to repeal the Trading Stamps Prohibition and Discount Stamps Issue Act, 1908. under which universal certificates were declared illegal so far as trading stamp. companies are concerned. The restrictions imposed by the Bill cover the restrictions imposed by the Act now proposed to he repealed. The provisions of that Act authorising the issue of discount stamps have not been availed of to any considerable extent, and it is considered that no good purpose is served by their retention on the Statute Book. No provision is made for the control of what is known as “included gift,” under which system the trader encloses a spoon with a package of tea or wraps a tea towel around a bar of soap. Outlining the provisions of the Bill, : the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr P. A. de la Perrelle) said' it was framed very much along the lines of the, pleasure introduced last session, hut which had been dropped in view of tfie-.opinions of members that the question, being i a highly important one, should .be left over until the ordinary session. The Government had then agreed to let the question stand over, but since the emergency , session urgent requests : had been made by business men, large and small, that the proposed legislation should be put into effect. In short the Bill made it impossible for coupons to be redeemed other than by cash after April 30, 1932. This date .has been fixed in order to obviate the necessity of firms taking coupons out of the packages in which they had already been placed. Tt would be impossible for any gifts to be distributed in return for coupons alter that date. A number of retailer-:, large and small, were anxious to give evidence upon the provisions of the Bill before it came before the House for consideration, and for that purpose it was desired that it should be referred to the Industries and Com-:nvm-:e Committee. It was passible that the Bill might be altered considerably in committee.