PRICE TRIBUNALS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1920, Page VII

PRICE TRIBUNALS.

SHOULD EVIDENCE BE PUBLIC?

'EXAMPLE OP AUSTRALIA '

(By Wire,—Parliamentary Report®.)

Wellington* Last Night • A suggestion wa» made by the P»wi" dent of tke Board of the Hlnue to-day that tke proceedings before the Profiteering Tribunal, should be open to the public.

Mr. Hanan (Invercatgill) said that these proceedings were at present in camera, and the public had no ide» of wkat sort of evidence wag being oifefed. He had no thought that the tribunals were not doing their work faftiMly, but he suggested tkat it the proceedings were open to tke Press thd public would know something about the itfms in the cost of commodities sold to tlftm, and the proceedings would have' an important educative influence. He styantioned that in Australia, the -ftMiw'tn* taken in open Court.

Mr. Lee said that no 'doobt the.hojiorable member had notiefed ttat"a'' )[ew days ago the traders of Wellington waited on him to make a protest aga&ut the sort of investigations the tribuwle and the Board of Trade were inaktyag. They had complained bitterly againstthe present legislation, and atked for' the re- , peal of it. That was their" jiiJe etory. The honorable member had ukei. for the publication of these in'reetu*tions. He wae making enquiries intofhe method of procedure in Australia; |nd ' when he had that information ,he Wfvld „ give the matter very careful coprid**- ! l tion.