NATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 244, 9 July 1921, Page 8

NATIONAL EFFICIENCY

(To the Editor.) Sir,—May I, without concurring in the justice of his local illustrations, draw your readers’ attention to the solution of our national difficulties suggested by Mr. J. B. Mac Ewan in his address to the Rotary Club. He has gone to the heart, of the problem, and suggested the remedy with a practical simplicity that is remarkable. Ho finds the cause of our troubles to be simply this: that we do not in our national and local government apply the same test of efficiency that prevails in every private business of every kind throughout the world. This test is well known to every successful organiser of business enterprise, and it is perfectly simple; it consists solely in adjusting the people and property employed in the business in such manner that they will become more and more efficient in helping one another in the purpose of tho business. In order to check these results a balance is taken at the end of a convenient period, so that those in charge may know if the organisation is becoming more or less efficient. It will be seen chat the rule of efficiency is the adjustment of people and property in such a way that they will more and more efficiently supply one another’s needs in the development- of enterprise. But this rule is nothing else than "The Golden Rule”; for in life nothing ever happens under human control other than the practical adjustment of those of God’s creatures we call people and property in the common purpose of tho development of a body of enterprise. In other words, all life consists of the practical adjustment of God’s ideas or creatures in the common purpose of the development of His Kingdom or enterprise. and the governing rule in this Divine enterpise is that found by Mr. MacEwan dominating successful private enternrise. Mr. MacEwnn rightly asks, How is it that this rule is so imperfectly applied in national and local government control? I am informed that his remarks met with the approval of his audience of leading business men. and in twenty years’ residence in Wellington I have found in its business men an earnest desire for the national welfare. The fault does not lie with the business man. It. lies with all sections of the community in their failure to remeiffber that there is a ruler and . a governing rule of efficiency controlling all acts in life. I have seen genuine efforts made by our business men to bring national government into conformity with the rule of efficiency. All have so far failed for the one reason—namely that the manager of each private business is. in the absence of a general coordination, compelled to make himself a trustee for his own business. His duty to his employees and the property under his charge compel him to make the success of his own business his primary consideration; whereas ho knows that the national welfare requires that the needs of his business should be subservient to the national purpose just os tho needs of each branch of his own business are subservient to his general purpose. In these circumstances it has been found impossible to get a general agreement among employers, and so there is no one in a position to control the different branches of our national enterprise in the way tho business man finds It necessary to control the different branches of his own business. The problem is how to -give to the leaders qf industry the power to bring our whole national enterprise into efficient compliance with "The Golden Rule”: and the solution is simple if we will only do what is necessary to reach it. Enterprise can only be curried on by the use of our labour and our savings; thus the people who call give authority to the leaders of enterprise to see that our national resources are organised to the best advantage are the owners of the national labour ami the national savings (i.e., the public), whose representative body to-day is I’ariiament. The solution then lire in the public getting together in public meetings and insisting upon I’ariiament giving to our leaders of enterprise the authority necessary to enable them to see tliat our labour and property are organised in conformity with "The Golden Rule.” Tn this aim religion and business coincide. and the clergy can do a great national service by organising meetings in its support. Tho only alternative to this course is to do what we do now; namely, put ourselves under the control of people who think J hey can devise rules for our government superior to that devised for us by our Creator and Ruler. —I am, etc., F. G. DALZTELL. Julv 8. 1921.