SOMEBODY PROFITEERING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3319, 24 October 1919, Page 4

SOMEBODY PROFITEERING.

There ‘has recently .‘[b'een 3 .‘=.ll'9‘lt flutter ‘in the "price-bo:osting” dovecot. a rice case in ‘the Islands "being {he “Star” piece. Somebody—-—we say somebody because» shippers. nxerehzants, and retailers all ‘xndignantly piofest that they are not guilty'of profiteering —put the price of rice up 'to’eightpence a pound, so it was stated, without denial‘. in-Parliament the other day. The price involved semi-starvation for I_l€6tiv'es and. indentured labour. The G_overnment’s. attenfiion was dravfii {'o the ’vsel'iouSness.‘o:’t~ . the ’eirc’um’stances‘,l end the 'St‘a_.te Plrice-Fiz:ixl§;3~l’A‘e“<:l‘li-ne.ry

made it illegal for any seller of rice to charge more than threepeuce per pound for it. A Member from his place in the House, asked the Prime ‘Minister? I whellier he was aware that rice was being increased in p.rice, or had’ been inlcreased to about on a par with g the Island case‘, and, if .so, would ihe put the Board of Trade 'to work to prevent pr-ofitéecring. It was evident ' to Members that if rice could be ship- ; ped to and sold in Fiji for threepence, it should not be sold" at a higher i figure in New Zealand. If the Board of lTrade decides upon eightpencei Pool‘ } people will be able to buy their rice in ‘ Fiji and get it delivered in New Zcafi land by parcels post‘ for less ’£ll'<l~ll it can be purchased in their own ‘towns. The excuse for the rice rise was shortage of supply, and following upon rice being mentioned in the (House, a Meniber stood up and said it was Stated that tea was going up to four shillings a pound, owing to shovrtage of supply. Mr Massey did not think there was any truth about the tea rise eventuating, but he evidently would not state anything about rice. The amazing feature of the whole price business is that every handler of goods, from grower to manufacturer, to consumer, seriously} protests against any charge‘ of unfair profits. We have come to’ the conclusion that there. is an inscrutable difference of opinion as to what constitutes a fair profit. It seems that the whole country is suifering from military psychology as disclosed in a case recently adjudicated upon by Mr Justice Stringer. It was stated to tge Court that soldiers experienced the greatest difii-I culty in distinguishing between meum and tuum in the same way as an ordinary person. Well,_ we -are not at all sure that the greater part of the community, other than's-oldicrs, -are not seriously afflicted similarly; 'that_the compaint is not peculiar to soldiers alone. We’ are aware soldiers have been responsible for other new ills being introduced, but no malady has made its appearance that is calculated to become such a danger to society as that which does not permit the -afflicted tofdiS‘finguish correctly "between meump and tuum. The Judge brought down the sword of justice somewhat" heavily on a. Maori soldier patient. and we are wondering how the rice patients will fare under l§oard of Trade diagnosis.