Standards body to face economies

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34156, 18 May 1976, Page 7

Standards body to face economies

(By our Wellington reporter)

The Standards Association is likely to fare a great deal better after the over-all cuts in Government grants than a number of other Government-funded organisations, but some economies may still he. necessary.

It will receive the same basic grant as last year, $227,000. but is still negotiating with the Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Adams-Schneider) for a supplementary grant. It received a supplementary grant of $23,000 last year, but may not receive as much this year.

The basic grant comprises more than 50 per cent of the association’s income, but has remained the same since 1972-73 and the supplementary grant was made last year tn compensate for inflation. Year’s income

The association’s accounts for 1975-76 have not yet been published but its income for 1974-75 was $365,062 — which included the basic grant of $227,000. Other income was §59,992 frorp subscriptions, $59,547 froty profit on trading, $12J515 from licence fees, $2239 from interest $1575 from donations and sundry, $433 from advertising charges, and $761 from inspection and testing.

The retiring director of the association (Mr G. H. Edwards) said the Standards Council considered the Government had acted “very responsibly” and the council would be looking very closely at all expenditure. It would be looking for any economies it could make and at the raising of extra funds itself.

“Whether we have to cut back on our work depends on the supplementary grant, but we are fairly confident we can raise our income from other sources and that the Government’s supplementary grant will at least cover inflation,” he said. “We are not planning at present to cut back on our activities, but if we do then our production standards will suffer.”

The association was planning a membership drive to increase its present total of 1300 to 2000, and had other ideas Mr Edwards was not prepared to discuss at this stage. The association’s main

aim is to effect economies in

manpower and materials through standardisation, without, inhibiting design or progress.

New standard

In 1975-76 it issued 40 new standards, plus vetting 88 overseas standards ana recommending them for use in New Zealand. It is working on 80 new standards at the moment.

One recent standard on traffic lights is-estimated to save New Zealand $75,000 a year, plus overseas exchange, by enabling the bulbs to be made in New Zealand, and another to standardise locally-quarried sand to be used in dam construction saved $lOO,OOO on one North Island dam. As the minister has already undertaken to maintain the present basic grant, plus to take into account the “inflation” factor, as distinct from any expansion of activities, the Standards Association should be able to cope in the next 12 months without too many problems.