PREVENTING EXPLOITATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1918, Page 5

PREVENTING EXPLOITATION.

AMENDING PRESENT LEGISLATION". (By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.£ Wellington, Last Night. An amendment to the Trade and Commere* Act, 11)14, is made by a clause in the War Regulations Bill that makes the following provisions:—Every person commits an oil'euce against this section who, either as principal or agent, sells or supplies or offers for sale or supply in New Zealand any good;; at a price which is Unreasonably high, if the opportunity of obtaining such price in New Zealand arises by reason of the existence, present' or past, of a war in which his Majesty is engaged, or by reason of a scarcity of such goods in New Zealand, caused by war conditions, present or past. For the purposes of tliis section, the price of any goods shall be deemed to be unreasonably high if its produces more than a fair and reasonable rate of commercial profit to the person selling or supplying, or offering to sell or, supply the goods. A fair and reasonable, rate of commercial profit is, for the purposes of this section, such Tate as would have beeff fair and reasonable on similar goods, prior to August, 1314, with a fair and reasonable addition for war conditions of freight charges and business expenses. Every person commits an offence against this section who, being in possession of goods for mercantile purposes, hoards and refuses to sell, or make avail* able for sale, such goods, if such hoarding or refusal raises or tends to raise the cost of other similar goods to the. public. Every person who is guilty of an: offence against this section is liable, ottsummary conviction, to a penalty not exceeding in the case of an individual,; iE 200, and in the case of an incorporated! eompany £IOOO. ? Mr. Massey 'explained that lie believed" jttos new- clause would help to prevents exploitation. It was on the lines of a . Canadian law. s . >