IMPORT CONTROL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1939, Page 7

IMPORT CONTROL

THE AUCKLAND PETITION

PRESENTATION ON JANUARY 23.

BIG DELEGATION PROPOSED

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, January 12.

Suspension for the time being of the operation of the import control regulations is sought in a petition prepared by the Bureau of Importers for submission to the Governor-General and circulated by the bureau to kindred organisations through New Zealand. The petition, which was prepared for the bureau by Professor R. M. Algie, was read at a meeting of about 100 business men at the chamber of commerce rooms, when there was general support for the suggestion that a special train should be engaged to take 300 Auckland importers to Wellington to attend the Dominion conference to discuss the effects of the regulations'. The particular grounds on which the petition is presented were itemised under five headings. The first stated that the regulations were, in the opinion of the petitioners, a violation of the spirit and intent of the Ottawa Agreement. Petitioners had been advised that there was grave doubt as to whether the regulations were intra vires and valid, and it was their intention to seek from the Supreme Court a declaratory judgment in which the Court would.be asked to pronounce upon the validity or otherwise of the regulations. Pending final determination on this question, very .serious hardship was being, and was likely to be, inflicted on importers generally and on their employees because of the' refusal of the Government to issue any statement of policy. Further unemployment was feared as a result of the effect on business. Importers were not anxious to reduce staffs and thus specially asked that the regulations should not be operative till their validity had been decided by the court. “It is very respectfully submitted that the private rights of a particular section of the community ought not to be arbitrarily restricted or ruthlessly abrogated, even by the High Court of Parliament itself, and upon this basis it is strenuously pleaded that there is stronger reason why such private rights ought not to be interfered with by regulations which are but a species of subordinate legislation and which provide no right of appeal except to the Minister, whose regulations in effect they are,” the petition concludes. Many signatures to the petition were forthcoming from business men at the meeting. The president, Mr W. A. Boucher, said a request had been sent to the British Trade Commissioner, Mr R. Boulter, in Wellington, to seek schedules of restricted and other British goods from the Minister. A reply had been received that the Minister had declined to furnish schedules. After an announcement that Christchurch intended sending 150 business men to the conference in Wellington late this month, Mr Gainor Jackson said Auckland should send 300. They should endeavour to get a special train. The bureau intends if possible to present the petition to his Excellency on January 23.