AID TO EFFICIENCY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 33, 2 November 1917, Page 7

AID TO EFFICIENCY

CITIZENS COMMITTEE APPOINTED

ME. FERGUSON SPEAKS ON GRAVE PROBLEMS

IMPORTANCE OF INCREASED PRODUCTION.

At the City C«unoil Chamber yesterday afternoon, the Mayor (Mr. J. Luke) presided over a wellattended meqting of commercial and business men called for the purposo of considering the setting up of committees .to assist the important work ot the .National Efficiency Board. In introducing the subject the Mayor said that he had doemed it his duty to convene a meeting of citizens for the purpose of considering the question of assisting the National Efficiency Board. There was 110 doubt whatever that such a board was needed, and that it had already done a great deal of valuable work. Parliament must have though so. too, opart from what the two political heads thought, as it had given it wide powers. He was of opinion.that they should give the board a meed of praise for what it had accomplished' up to the present time —work that was not only of an unselhsli character, but which had been performed without any emolument. _ (Applause.) lie felt that he was quite justified in calling the assemblage to set up a committoo to aid the board. He called upon Mr. William Ferguson to address the meeting, saying that tho Government in calling on Mr. Forguson had secured tho very best man for the job. Mr. Forguson said: that he liatl very littlo to say, as all present had probably thought out the great problems that wero boforo tho country as well as he. had. So far tho city of Wellington had not formed a committee or dono any active work. If anyone was to bmnio for that perhaps it was himself. Ihey had considered a large number of small cases, but now that the Second B' visl ° n was boing called, up thoro would be larger probloms to meet, and lie askeu that some members of the business and industrial community =hould act with 3fr. Moss and himself in dealing with those larger questions that would arise out of the war. The war. was going on for a very long time, and it.was not only tho present timo they had to look to, but to the'future. In Auckland, >u addition to tho farmors' trustee boards they had set up a'Business Board, consisting ot six or eight members, which was doing useful Work. So far they had only taken up the' actual trusts, but they had handled a good many small cases apart from trusts where business men had been called up. At Hamilton- a case had occurred whore of four men iu the same, lino of. business two wero liable to bo called up. Tho board thoro called tho men together, with the rcsulti that they had decided to staud by ono another, to closo .up tho two businesses.and run tho othor two as co-operative businesses. This was being done methodically by taking stock, going into tho ieturns of each business for the till co lob vears, so that the men who were going away would bo in tho same ["-silion ou their return as they were I lure they went. That was practical assistance. Fros( . ick . thfl canterbury Vppresentativo on the board, who was veiy activo and practical, had.instilled a ieij full system, by which each branch ot industry and business bad nominated a committee for' efficiency purposes. He did not propose to go so far as that., no suggested that the meeting Mould appoint a. nomination - committee, which would in turn appoint three committees ono to represent commerce and the professions (six or' seven men would, no thought, fill, the bill), one to represent tho retailers and distributors (of about the 6ame number), and a. third to repiesent the manufacturing industries. Jt would bo tho duties of those committees to tako into consideration cases where business men, or their right-hand men, wero being called up, to tall? over tne wholo business in a. practical way, in order to conserve their interests whilst away, and perhap3 provide a nucleus (funds) for them when they came bacK. It was very difficult for a Jargo meeting to definitely appoint small committees as tlicir personnel would have to be very carefully thought out. He would be clad if they would ask any questions, and be pleased, to answer any points which might have occurred to anyone whilst ho had been speaking.

Increased Production Essential. After the question of the Second Division reservists had been disposed or there was the very much larger question -that of increasing our production. We had largely increased our debt, ajl « they were to remain solvent, and maintain the same status of lifo in jSev< Zealand, they must do their best to increase thoir output. lo do that they wanted the use of everyone s brains-any-one with an idea, no matter how wild id seemed-in order to carry their intention to fruition. It was important that they should do everything they could to maintain the status of life of he working-classes, and to keep up the standard of living they must increase their output by every possible moans, that in justice to the men who were returning home. There was, too, a tendency on the part of men not to to their old avenues of employment, and for employers, - who had probably taken on girl labour, not to take them back. That must be considered in formulating the. substratum of' a scheme, or many schemes, to increase their output and paj their way. (Applause,) ' Farmers' LoyaltyMr. T. Moss (a member of the. Efficiency Board) said it was the first time he had been called upon to adaress a business community. Though formeily a resident of Wellington, he.had been twenty years in the country, and his interests and sympathy lay in tho country districts. He had, therefore, agreed that Mr Ferguson should look aitei the city interests. In the country there had not been ono refusal to undertake work parallel to that now being asked of the business men of Wellington. Thev were not only assisting m tho management of farms, but there ««««» where the farmers had clubbed togothir to employ a manager to - look after the properties of soldier absentees, ,-mdso help the boys who were fighting their battles. In this matter there should bo a. mutual interchange of sympathy Between the city and the comthy. quoted one instance in Auckland, wher the farmer trustees, finding themselves without money to run a farm, had called on the. Government tq,have a certain sum guaranteed, but m the meantime they personally sttbscrited to keep the'farm going. He agreed with Mr. that they would have to produce all they possibly could, and to do that town and country must pull together. (Applause.) There was. no such tiling as equality of sacrifice, and when tho boys camo < there should bo no opportunity for then, to say—"We did our part, but you jere making money.' " 0 "!^ hear them say-"We did our pa.it, and I'm glad you did yours! {Appl a ii»e.) Tho Mayor then formally moved thai tho meeting approve tho principle of setting up committees, as suggested by iui. Ferguson. . , , , ;l Mr. S. Krrkcaldie that ic nmht be advisable first to set up a gouer'd committee, which would, after careful consideration, nominate members ot each coiumitteo. That was what Ji© understood Mr. Ferguson to mean. Mr. Ferguson said his idea was to °ec up a nomination committee, which were to appoint from themselves or outsiders tho committees to represent the sections, no pointed out that they must be wen who could afford the time for thowo.k, thoir services would be voluntary, as they must keep down expenses, and the whole thing should bo non-polifacaK In the country they had striven to keep tho politicians off the boards as one of tho foundations of success.

Harmony and Accord Required. Mr. J. Hutcheson said that so much depended on the personnel of tho commit tees that to elccfc tliom then and H ere mifiht not result m tho wisest solection. Into tho problem of increased production crept the question of labour, did not seo officially represented at tho mooting Without comp h ~. and accord between Capital andLabo ui ho did not seo how success could como. A man might bo a jreat captain of

dustry, but might bo the ffia.u post tinlilted to "be on a committee. They must, co-operate in bringing about harmony to do any good .it all. Mr. G. Shiiiclitt'o .thought' that the resolution was quite in order—to approve tho principle of setting up » selection committee. If the meeting passed the motion tho nest step would tie to sot up the selection committee. To go any further would require very careful consideration, as it would never do to solect names haphazard from thos? present, as the very best men available wero required for each committee. - Thev would all, ho was sure, make every cilort to increaso tho products of the Dominion. To meet tho very heavy taxation and tho prospective taxation, there was only one solution, and that was increased production, which should bo tho watchword of the Dominion. , Air. J. B. Speed seconded the motion, which was carried. The Mayor moved that a Selection Committee be set up for tho purposo of appointing three committees (as already determined) to aid efficiency m consultation with tho National Efficiency Board. , . , The motion was seconded and earned. The Mayor proposed that tho committee should bo twenty, and Mr. J. Hutcheson thought fivo would be enough. Mr. C. ,1.. Ward thought that tho chairmen of such bodies as the Chanibei uf Commerce, Industrial Association, '-employers' Association, and Commercial Travellers should be represented, but such representation was not approved by tho meeting, on a motion to that euect b Ali° ILM. Find Jay thought that the matter of appointing Ihe committees 6hould be left to Mr. Ferguson, but Mr. Ferguson said that he had asked the Mayor to call the meeting, as ho had anticipated difficulty over the matter. Mr. Findlay withdrew his suggestion. Mr. J. M'Lellan said that members of tho comiuittco should bo those wii.ii a wide and intimate knowledge ot men and things. Tlioy should bo men witli ability and time. No man should bo appointed, to the committee ,v ' lo if. as a means of spending half-an-houi pleasantly—it would be for hours a day, and hard work. , ' "Finally tho meeting got down to a proposal that tho Soicetion 'Committee should consist of ten, and nominations were called for. By the time they were all in there wore fourteen names (oxelusive of Mr. Ferguson), and, it was decided that these should constitute the committee. Tho names were: Messr. b. Shirtoliffe, F. W. Manlon, C, h. Richardson, S. Kirkcaldie, A. W. Newton, C. MLuke. C. .T. Ward, D. M. Pimllay, .T. B. M.'Ewan, T. Burt, A. Leigh Hunt, J. «. Speed, William Allan, and B. J Carson. Theso were dedared elected on the morion of the Mayor, seconded by the Hod. J. G. W. Aitken. Mr. Ferguson said he would act as convener ul' (ho committee.