PROFITEERING ALLEGED.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1920, Page 6

PROFITEERING ALLEGED.

■ SIS CHRISTOHUBOH CASES. SALE OF ALARM CLOCKS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Cliristchurch, Last Night. Six cases of alleged, profiteering, the first informations laid in Christchurch under the Board of Trade Act, were called lit the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr. McCarthy, S.M. The informant in each case was Mr. Christie, secretary of the prices investigation tribunal, and the defendants were local hardware merchants.

The date of the alleged offences was May 12 in each case, and the informations were laid in respect of sales of "Big Ben" alarm clocks to the informant at the price of 2os, which was considered unreasonably high. The defendants were as follows:—The Drapery Importing Company (the D.i.CJ; Hastie, Bull, and Pickering, Ltd.; A. J. White, Ltd.; E. Reeoe, Ltd.; Mason, Strathers and Co., Ltd.; and G. W. Dayton, Ltd.

When the first case was called—that against th? D.1.C.-—Mr. Donnelly, who appeared for the Board of Trade, said five other cases against local ironmongers had been set down for hearing. These were being defended by Sir John Findlay, K.C., and Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., and an adjournment ha<l been arranged in these cases for about a fortnight, to which counsel assented, but it was desired that the adjournments should be treated as sine die ones to enable a suitable date to be fixed for the hearing, and to enable /information to be laid against another firm.

The Magistrate agreed'to Mr. Donnelly s suggestion, and the cases were ac' cordingly adjourned sine die. '