MANUFACTURERS CONFER

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21323, 16 November 1934, Page 16

MANUFACTURERS CONFER

CO-ORDINATION SCHEME ADOPTED INCREASED EFFICIENCX SOUGHT (rIUSSS ASSOCIATION TBIdSOBAM.) WELLINGTON, November 15. Prominent among the questions considered at the conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation, which was continued to-day, was a proposal that the manufacturers' organisation should adopt a definite scheme of "facilitating the co-ordina-tion of industrial units, with a-view to increasing still further the efficiency of the manufacturing industries as a whole." ~ After a long discussion, this policy was adopted by unanimous vote and referred to the Federation Council to I be completed. The general scheme consists of four parts. It provides for the unification of many Government departments which are now concerned with the manufacturing industries, namely the Industries Department, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Labour Department, the Marine Department (Inspection of Machinery), and several others.

It also provides for the setting up of a permanent industrial commission. Among its functions, this commission would promote and assist in the working out by the various sections of industry of schemes designed for the coordination of productive units, for safeguards against over-capitalisation and the introduction of excessive plant, and for various other means of ensuring that the manufacturing industries shall expand on a sound economic basis, increasing their efficiency and eliminating certain uneconomic forms of competition, which are neither profitable to the industry nor beneficial to the consuming public. "I believe this is the most important decision that has ever been made in the- history of the manufacturing industries of this Dominion," said the president (Mr F. L. Hutchinson) Among : other matters dealt with was a claim that the Government in view of its improved finances, should now carry out the undertaking at Ottevl to remove the primage duty from all goods imported from the United Kirlg-

Mr James Hogg (Dunedin) 'was elected president of the federation for the forthcoming year.

and complete his period of training. The above amount,, plus interest and private donations, it was held, should go a long way toward establishment costs on the scale indicated.