GREATER POWERS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20951, 2 November 1939, Page 9

GREATER POWERS

PRICE TRIBUNAL TO MEET TRADERS’ NEEDS GROUP APPLICATIONS (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday An announcement that arrangements are now being made to clothe the Price Investigation Tribunal with additional powers, which will enable it to fix particular prices and to apply the procedure of “averaging” prices where necessary, is made by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in a statement replying to recent criticism of the tribunal. The Minister said this extension of power would meet certain difficulties which traders had been experiencing with regard to replacement costs. “The additional powers will also enable the tribunal to allow a margin of profit on increased cost where reduced turnover or increased overhead justify such allowance,” Mr Sullivan said. “Where, by reason of a large number of items dealt with by the trade, it is impracticable to make individual application in respect of each item, the tribunal will accept any reasonable scheme submitted by the trader by which items can be grouped in one application. Grocers Mentioned “The tribunal has, in fact, adopted this procedure. For some time past it has also been accepting applications by certain trade organisations on behalf of all their members, thus obviating the necessity for individual applications. Arrangements have now been made for this procedure to be extended to other organisations, particularly organisations of master grocers. “It has been stated that some traders have raised prices in defiance of the regulations,” added the Minister. “If this is so, it must be clearly understood that such conduct, specially m this time of emergence, will not be tolerated and offenders will be prosecuted without the slightest hesitation. The Government has every confidence in the tribunal to deal with the interests of all concerned in a just and equitable way. All must remember, however, that international .markets have been greatly disturbed by the war and our efforts to deal effectively with prices in New Zealand will depend upon the degree of co-opera-tion and reasonableness exhibited by all those affected by the tribunal’s operations.”