CHANGING CONDITIONS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 269, 27 August 1935, Page 2

CHANGING CONDITIONS

DANGERS OF CATCH CRIES.

THE ECONOMIC SPHERE. All manner of organisations—political, social, religious, industrial, commercial, financial and professional —are concerned with the quickly changing scene in their own countries and the world as a whole. Politicians profess to bo “exploring avenues” to better fields, and others are engaged in the widespread practice of “finding formulae” to cure economic or other ills of the body politic. This situation was mentioned by Mr A. E. Cutforth, president of the English Institute of Chartered Accountants, at Leeds recently.

“What should be our outlook as we view the rapidly changing scene?” he asked. “We in our profession cannot be unaffected by changing conditions in the world in which we live. These are bound to have their influence on our work. We cannot allow ourSelv6s to he left in a backwater; we must move with the times. But equally we must not let the stream carry us along at a pace which prevents us from steering a good course. “If we look back over the restless and troubled 1 days comprised in the last 15 or 20 years, we can recall certain cries or catchwords which caught the popular fancy for a while and attained temporarily a prominence which they did not deserve. When new ideas and new suggestions are put forward, affecting our profession directly or indirectly, we must not brush them aside as unworthy of consideration merely , because we can discern some objection to them; nor, on the other hand, must we accept them without a calm and careful study, uninfluenced by the prejudices or the passions of the moment. “What man is there among us vvho, on looking back, cannot recall occasions when he was too cautious, and other occasions on which he was too rash. We cannot always avoid mistakes. And what is true of individuals must be true of institutes. No corporate body can hope to pursue a policy which posterity will pronounce to be perfect. A certain view or a certain line of action may, in tlie light of after events, prove to have been a mistaken one; but if all the factors and circumstances, as they existed at the time, were carefully and calmly reviewed, who can impute blame ?”