A Plea for Simplicity

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27675, 3 June 1955, Page 12

A Plea for Simplicity

The New Zealand Press Association, for -which we make no further excuse than that it was repeating the words used in an official announcement by the Minister of Finance, reported in “ The Press ” of Wednesday that "housing construc- “ tion is to be maintained at “maximum levels, but the Govern - “ment is taking steps to hold the

“ total level of demand on the “ building industry, to bring it more " in line with the physical resources “ available ”. Though the literate reader could possibly interpret this mass of jargon to mean that as many houses will be built as possible but that the Government intends to control the use of building materials for all purposes, he would still be interpreting, not necessarily understanding, what the Minister intended to say. He might find it easier to understand what is meant by the statement that “the Capital “ Issues Committee will continue to “ apply strict priorities in consider- " ing applications for new capital though he might think that it would have been better to have said that the committee, in considering applications for new capital, would continue to give preference to the most important projects. These points are made in no carping spirit of criticism, but in the hope, perhaps vain, that the gentlemen who prepare statements on public policy will use the simplest possible language to say what they mean. The Government maintains an expensive publicity Staff, partly to prepare statements of the kind. It should insist that members of the staff must be capable of writing simply, concisely and plainly, so that * what they write will be understood iby everyone.