WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 October 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PROFITEERING, \

TRADERS RESENT IMPEACHMENT.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Oct. 21

The wholesale merchants ami manufacturers entertained the retailers at dinner here on Saturday night, and both the hosts and the guests took the opportunity to denounce in good round terms the charges of profiteering that had lieen levelled against them. The chairman, Mr. James Muir, speaking for the trade with which he is best acquainted, said there was - no other business in the Dominion that worked upon such a small margin of profit or was called upon to take such risks as was the provision trade. By popular clamor .the country's legislators' had been induced to pass a Board of Trade Bill which put drastic and far-reaching powers into the hands of the administration, and it was his honest opinion that the various trades were in for troublous times through the interference of officials who knew practically nothing of the ramification of business. COMMERCE IN PARLIAMENT. Mr. H. D. Bennett, following in the same strain, said that if the business wen adopted the tactics that were cmployed by the wharf laborers the prices of certain goods would be three times what they were now. No one, he declared, would object for a moment to the real profiteer—"the man who created corners and such things"—-being dealt with severely and made to disgorge his ill-gotten gains, but the trader wno was earning a bare profit and taking immense risks ought not to be perpetually liairassed -by the politicians. The only safeguard against this sort of thing was the more adequate representation of commerce and all the interests for which it stood in Parliament, and if business men wantei? relief and a fair deal they should take the trouble to bear a part in the public life of the community- Other speakers strongly supported this view. IMPATIENT POLITICIANS. Members of the House continue to display their anxiety to bring the session to a close as speedily as possible, so that they may get about their electioneering, but at the same time uiany of them want the Government to save measures of their own from the inevitable "slaughter of the innocents," which promises to be unusually heavy this year. Referring to the subject in the early hours o£ Saturday morning the Prime Minister said he thought all the imperative business could be concluded within a fortnight If members would refrain from over-much talking and give the Government their assistance in other obvious directions. The Puiblic Works Statement "probably will be presented on Wednesday, and if members will accept the estimates in discreet silence they will greatly facilitate their release. INDEPENDENCE. Quite a number of the members of the present Douse, hitherto more or less docile followers of 1 their party loader, now are proclaiming their independence. The latest of those to throw q'ff openly the shackles of the caucus is Mr. G. H. Sykes, the, member for Masterton. Sir. W. 11. Matheson already is in the field as an Independent, and Independent Laihov and Official Labor are also repre. senled, while Mr. Coradine, an ex-?»'ayor of Masterton, with party predilections undefined, is mentioned as a probable candidate. Many other constituencies are embarrassed by a similar wealth of candidates and it looks highly probable that when the general election is over a meeting of Parliament will be required to determine to which fold half the successful candidates belong,