STANDARDISATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1938, Page 11

STANDARDISATION

MINISTER REPLIES.

ANSWER TO CRITICISM.

WORXD-WIDE MOVEMENT,

Criticism to the effect that standardisation and simplification constituted evidence of the socialisation objective of Government policy was described by the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in a statement issued to-day, as a miscon-

ception. . "If an encouragement of the utilisation of these principles constitutes evidence of socialisation, then ail the leading countries in the world are fast moving towards this objective, most of them having made much more definite progress in this respect than has New Zealand," said Mr. Sullivan.

The Minister recalled that the Right Hon. G. W. Forbes was on record as saying that lie "felt that standardisation would certainly prove of great benefit to New Zealand and to the development of Empire trade." That was on the occasion of the Governmentsponsored visit of Mr. C. E. le Maistre, director of the British Standards Institute, to the Dominion in 1931-32.

As'far back as 1927, said Mr. Sullivan, the advantage of standardisation and simplification was urged by tlie World. Economic Conference at Geneva. A typical decision was: "The conference considers that one of the _ principal means of increasing output, improving conditions of labour, and reducing costs of production, is to be found in the rational organisation of production and distribution."

The principles were given support by the Conference 011 Standardisation and by the Imperial Conference (1030), and again by the Ottawa Economic Conference at Ottawa in 1932, said Mr. Sullivan,! quoting from several reports. The past New Zealand Government, through their representatives at the successive Imperial Conferences, on no less than four occasions had soundly agreed that the development of these principles was essentially in the best interests of every section of the community and the Empire as a whole. "According to the criticism to which I refer, these arc trilling considerations to sacrifice in order to satisfy wire, strained political prejudice," the Minister said. "The fact is that the present Government is carrying out undertakings entered into, but never discharged, by its predecessors. Here is • offence enough to earn the ccnsurc and contumely of a Press that proclaims with another voice its cajieern for the real welfare of the Dominion, the Empire and its peoples. "In fact the development of standardisation aiiu simplification lias so demonstrated its advantage that it should bp cncouragcd and supported by all to whom the consideration of the social and economic welfare of the nation is | of vital concern."