LAW SOCIETY'S BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 227, 25 September 1935, Page 6

LAW SOCIETY'S BILL.

AN ACCOUNTANT'S COMMENT. (To tho Editor.) Your correspondent "Justice," in hig oriti. cisrn of tlie Law Society's Bill, statee that "nowhere in a British community has such audacious legislation ever been proposed," Actually we have in New Zealand far more unjust legislation. I refer to clause 140 of the recent Companies Act, which conferred a monopoly of auditing on members of the New Zealand Society of Accountants, thus giving this body the solo control of accountancy in New Zealand. The far-reaching effects of this legislation are not fully realised by hundreds of competent accountants who are not members of the society but who are occupying responsible positions and therefore havo not time or inclination to audit at the present time. However, there are many with up to 25 years' experience of accounting and auditing' (some having passed examinations) who have been made outcasts of their profession and are slowly but surely losing their business, with no recourse, as the back door of the society, through which nearly 40 per cent of its members entered, is closed. After all, a solicitor to be registered with the Government has to reach a set and known standard, there being no back door, and he has therefore some right to be protected from "pirates," On the other hand, an accountant has to be a member of a society and is either (1) fully qualified, (2) qualified by examination but with no experience, or (3) a lucky one who has passed no examination and in many cases possesses no outstanding credentials of competence. Finally, in other parts of the world the "registration of accountants" has been considered unjustified after taking exhaustive evidence from all sections of the commercial community, yet jn New Zealand the Government confers a monopoly at the sole request of the society that is to be privileged. Under all the circumstances, I say good luck to the solicitors whilst the "going is good." EX-AUDITOR.