"PRESSING FOR PAYMENT"

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 19 July 1929, Page 6

"PRESSING FOR PAYMENT"

CHAMBER OP COMMERCE DENIAL .MR HOLLAND REPLIES The. Leader of .the 1 .about' Piirtyi, Mr If. K. Hollhnd, jM.P., has handed to, the- Press the" following statement in reply to the attack made on himself at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday evening : "The Press reports of the last meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce would appear to indicate that a question of mine addressed to the Prime Minister was discussed with more heat than usually characterises the deliberations cf that body. My question was a very simple one. I intimated that I had received (information (that some warehouses were pressing retailers in the Westport area for pigment of their accounts, and pointed out that if this' were being done, it would 'mean that the retailers must in their turn press their enstomers, and I added that neither retailers nor customers were in a position to pay up at this juncture. I asked the Prime Minister if anything could bo done to ensure that pressure would not be exercised for the present, and Sir Joseph Ward's reply Was wholly sympathetic.

"When Mr Myers rang me up on Tuesday, 1 intimated to him that I \ could not furnish him with the names of the parties concerned, since the commuriications received by mo Were confidential. When I say 1 hold such communications, and that in these it is set forth that some warehouses were pressing retailers for settlement of their accounts,, my word will be accepted by, every responsible member of the Cham her of Commerce; but 1 cannot, under any circumstances, recognise the right of that Chamber to demand, that noiij fidential communications to myself shall .be made available to its members. My,, statement in support of my question was' a perfectly legitimate one, and will not bo withdrawn. At the same time, if. the Prime Minister so desires, I am' quite prepared to place the facts before him with the consent of my correspondents.

"The Chamber of Commerce seems to have fallen into the error of. regarding my statement as referring to all the warehouses, whereas it had reference only to some of them. I have already given the Prime Minister particulars which have reached me of the voluntary action of certain warehousemen and manufacturers—notably those in the footwear industry—who have treated their retail customers magnanimously, and I know that many other wholesale concerns have acted similarly. -Many warehousemen and manufacturers have also contributed generously and handsomely towards the Earthquake Relief Funds—arid they deserve every credit for having done so. But none of the facts affect my statement; in the least. My questidn to the Prime; Minister related only to some concerns winch wore acting differently. "If it should appear to be advisable, I will again bring this matter -before the Prinie Minister, and will ask him to take steps to have a full investigation made. But I am more than hopeful that this will not be necessary. I feel confident that, as a result of the ventilation of the matter and the Prime Minister's sympathetic pronouncement, the warehouses which have not yet done so will follow the good example of the vast majority, and will refrain from exercising any further pressure on the retail houses until a recovery has been made from the effects of the earthquake disaster.". ,„•-. ..