MALICIOUS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 363, 26 October 1932, Page 4

MALICIOUS

STRONG CONDEMNATI0N OF PRICE CUTTING METHODS. Price-cutting was strongly condemned by Mr. M. G. C. McCaul, when referring at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to the steps taken recently to urge the Government to repeal the Commercial Trusts and Board of Trade Acts. "Price-cutting," said Mr. McCaul, "does not spring from a desire to benefit manlcind, but from malice, hatred, and all uncharitableness. It s instituted to crush opposition — to deny traders the right to live. ' A just manuf acturer will pay his employees a fair wage, and in fixing the selling price of his product he will provide a fair rate of profit for wholesale and retail distributors such as will enahle them to p>ay a decent liying wage to their employees. The unscrupulous pirate trader who slashes prices endangers the whole wages system, and if left unehecked will bring to New Zealand th'e worst evils of the sweated shop assistants of the Victorian era. To me it appears manifestly unjust that to-day a manufacturer is expressly denied by our laws the right to protect his product from such treatment. In my opinion the manufacturer or propreitor of any proprietary or branded articles should have the right under common law to damages against any person who does him an injury by cuttirig the. prices of same below what is fair and just. At present he is even denied the right to refuse such' an evildoer supplies of his goods."