NATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 76, 22 December 1917, Page 2

NATIONAL EFFICIENCY

STATEMENT BV CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. Tlie first annual meeting of the oral Council of Agricultural. 1 astonl, and Dairying Industries m the Canter bury Military District, under the diction' of the National Efficiency Board, was opened m the Chamber of Commerco on Thursday. riio proceodings commenced with a ' " n which the Mayor (Mr. H - H? 1 , an £ nresided. and wlncli was attended by the delegates to the council and mai| of the leading professional and/bus ness men of Christchurcli. In responding to the toast or i>a tional Efficiency," Mr. Wj Ferguson, chairman of -the National tfßciencj Board, said that New island should he congratulated on the fact that a I her people were workers. 1 hat ms the eoret of the great success of New Zealand, hut harder work still must ho done in the future. Our national and local bodies' debts had d°ubl--tlin fin last ten vears, while our .produce Riid exports had not kept up wit.i such increase. We must not only think of the war. but of after the war, and itbehoved all to do cverything they cQu d in the wav of pushing ahead our in dustries. Particularly'was it uf that Scientific knowledge should pla> a creator part in our industrial life. W ' \vns to hi hoped that the Gomnm nt would spend more and more for indus trial and scientific vpsearch. ai d it to be applied as it should be to i mistrial and agricultural Me. W Ferguson proceeded to cnlaig- 01 '• necessity for bringing up cl J c /^ the healthiest way possible, and. there was no more healthy place than ine wmntry. Therefore it behoved us to village settlements was riot far dwtanij —settlements with the life . of the country and the comforts of tie city and so help to build up a healthy una Uy red to take the place of those who would never come back. , MV T A. Frostick, National . LiE" ciency Commissioner for thp Canterbury district, said thaV-the establishment of committees.of advice under the Efficiency Board was a new movement, but one of the-greatest importance to tbo Dominion tricts in general. After some doubts in the earlier stages, confidence l>aa now been established , between the board and the primary producers, and also, ho believed, with the publw generally. Ho hoped that as a result of this first annual conference there would be established on sound economic and business lines an organisation which, if properly conducted ana controlled, would form the nucleus of a national system of production for tno efficient control of the nation s fooriproducing capacity. This country > already passed through the initial stages of its national life to a pom where- the development of. the tuu strength of national activity le* come a necessity. The man of ho future would be judged f rom ain tional point of viow, uot.by sions, but upon his attainmeiits- lha employer, no matter in what ludustrj, would be expected to I»ssess a knoloclge of the science S overm ,¥ i;r occupation in order that lie could d . his employees with ii.tcn.Be iM Ac iul waste m every form must bs ehnn w cd. There was waste im fi9 n, S. r Oll , ' this country which, if dealt with, would create new ar ™'® 3 which, in tbo process of manufacture, ,vould find work- at good wages for thousands of people, and wjenreuV for use would be worth millions stcrling annually. Mr. Frostick proceeded to impress on his hearers that the National Efficiency Board was absolutely non-political. National efiicienc) the only policy it acknowledged.