PLANNING PEACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 175, 6 May 1944, Page 5

PLANNING PEACE

NEW ZEALAND’S ORGANISATION. PROBLEMS AFTER THE WAR. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 5. “Although the Government’s paramount responsibility in the crisis through which we have been passing is the winning of the war, it has not been unmindful of the tremendous problems that must inevitably arise when hostilities cease,” said the Act-ing-Prime Minister (the Hon. D. G Sullivan), to-night. “Already much has been done by various State departments under Cabinet direction to survey the potentialities of the future. “A rearrangement of administrative machinery which has now been decided upon will ensure that plans and other proposals relating to post-war problems emanating from all sources w r ill be studied by officers specially selected by reason of their knowledge and experience, and will eventually be welded into one composite national plan for the consideration of the Gov eminent. To achieve this purpose the Government has decided to establish an Organisation for National Development, to examine and co-ordinate all proposals relating to post-war prob lems. The organisation will be under the direct control of the Prime Minister and will be presided over by a special Cobinet committee consisting of the Ministers primarily concerned.

Research Officers to be Appointed

“A chief executive officer will be appointed, and with him will be associated as an executive committee a specially qualified officers drawn from Government departments and possessing wide knowledge and experience. There will also be attached to this central organisation. a small staff of research officers, with the necessary qualifications for the study of particular problems which must inevitably arise.

“The Organisation for National Development will in no way derogate from the responsibility of departments to their Moinisters, or from their responsibility in coping with all problems closely associated with their own administration. The new organisation is designed to examine projects deal' ing with reconstruction, to mould or modify them as may be necessary to fit them into a practical plan, as well as to give guidance and assistance to the. various departments engaged in the work. The departments in turn, however, will be required considerably to widen, their study of post-war problems, and consequently steps will be taken to associate in combined committees the departmental officials, together with other selected personnel. The normal procedure will be for proposals to be formulated by these combined committees, which will not act under the control of Ministers of the Grown, and be passed on to the central executive of the Organisation for National Development for examination and co-ordination into an integral part of the general plan. The proposals will then go to the committee of Ministers for consideration before final decision by the Cabinet.

Meeting the “Transition” Period,

“The above procedure which follows very closely that in operation in Britain, is designed not only to study and plan for long-range development of the Dominion, but also to make special preparations for practical measures to meet the period of transition which will occur on the cessation of hostilities. Not only will provision be made to assist in the rapid rehabilitation of members of the armed forces, but also for the safeguarding of the livelihood of a probably greater army of civilians whose energies have been diverted to war purposes. The first task must obviously be the restoration of industry to a peace-time basis at a time when there will be a shortage of raw materials and a huge demand for goods. Mr J. S. Hunter, who has held the position of Director of National Service during the war, has been selected as chief administrative officer, to inaugurate the new organisation, the development of which will be determined from time to time in the light of experience gained. Mr, Hunter will relinquish the’-■position of Director of National Service, and take up his new duties forthwith.” DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SERVICE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 5. The Minister of National Service (the Hon. A. McLagan) to-night announced that in view of Mr J. S. Hunter’s appointment to the Organisation fop National Development, Mr H. L. Bockett had been appointed to fill the positions of Director of National Service and Controller of Manpower, which had been amalgamated. The appointment of Mr Hunter to the new organisation, together with the diminution of functions in the National Service* Department through the tapering off of ballots and the closing down of civil defence activities afforded an excellent opportunity of carrying out desirable amalgamations and readjustments to secure full co-opeiation in the working of the National Service and manpower organisations, said Mr McLagan.