Revolution over?

Press, 9 May 1980, Page 14

Revolution over?

Auckland The technological revolution has started, according to the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger).

Already there are people who live more than 300 km from their employer, working computer terminals in their own homes and never having to go to work.

At least, that was the gist of Mr Bolger's address to a seminar at Victoria University of Wellington. But who are these people? Where do they live? For whom do they work? Mr Bolger does not know. Neither does his private secretary (Mr C. Crawford) nor his press secretary (Mr B. Clarke). Even the man who wrote the speech, a researcher on the staff of the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Templeton) does not know.

As reporters tried to unravel this little mystery it turned out that that section of Mr Bolger’s address had been taken

from another speech. That speech did not name the technological revolutionthe Yellow Bolger’s lnf ° n "s , A°s -ame from an address given to the National Partv’s summer schoo 1 in Marlborough last by I.RM.s marketing manager, Mr David •Vright Mr Wright was more than a little embarrassed that his comments had been lifted by a Cabinet Minister.

“I did not give names in my speech because I wanted to protect the privacy of those involved. Anyway, I spoke on the condition that my comments would not be published anywhere and tha. i was speaking only as a private individual, Le said.

For the same reasons, Mr Wright declined to name names. Nevertheless, part of the mystery, at least, has been solved by the Yellow Pages. On page 528 of the

Auckland edition there u a drawing of two “tech, nological revolutionary using “portable data ter. minal” machines.

They are insurant salesmen for Aetna Ufa and as far as that cosb pany is concerned, there is no mystery and not even a revolution.

Aetna’s manager (Mr R. Newton) said,, “You can tell Mr Bolger that the revolution is not a revolution any more. It is th® establishment now. •"■ v

“We have been using these terminals for about three years. It is no long, er a big deal to us.”

About 35 salesmen carry the machines in their brief, cases. They can plug them into any telephone connection and draw information from a computer in Sydney. *. The machines cost s37o® plus the cost of toll calls to Sydney. In an instant, they can provide data on : policies for clients in. their own homes. “I am afraid the Minis- , ter is out of date. The revolution, as he calls it, is over,” Mr Newton Said.