COURSE NOT WANTED BY ACCOUNTANTS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 12

COURSE NOT WANTED BY ACCOUNTANTS

Economics Rejected For Secretarial Law

A recommendation of the education committee of the New Zealand Society of Accountants, that the subject of economics should be deleted from the syllabus of the professional course and tiiat a paper on secretarial law and practice should be included, has been adopted by the council of the society. The question of a change-over from the present syllabus to the new one has been referred to the education committee, with an instruction to report to the next meeting of the council in October.

At; a recent, meeting of the council, Mr. G. W. Reid stated that the logical place for economics was in the D.Coni. course. It was not a desirable subject for young students of so immature mentality. They had to give so much time to the useful professional subjects that they found it difficult: to give adequate attention to economies. A mere smattering of this subject was no good.

Not Great Value by Itself.

Mr. W. A. Smith (Christchurch) remarked that a leading economist had assured him that economics by itself was not of great value in the professional course. It would need to bo taken with economic geography aud economic history.

Mr. H. Valentine (Wellington) said that accountancy bodies overseas took subjects outside bookkeeping, auditing and law. He referred to a number of accountancy bodies, which included economies in their prescriptions. They recognised that a proper study of this subject was beneficial to an accountant.

Mr. A. M. Seaman (Auckland) said he believed the professional examination would be better without economics in its present form in the prescription, but it would be difficult to find a suitable form in which it could be included. He held that economics was not a cultural subject. The society, with lhe university, had the whole of • the machinery to enable students to take up economics and other subjects after the completion of the professional course. Mr. SI. S. Spence (Napier) said he would like to associate himself with Sir. S'alentine in defence of economics. Change in Economic Notions. Sir. E. D. Wilkinson (Wellington) said that as one who had been obliged to pass in economics for the professional course, he believed that it was neither cultural nor practical. Slany economic notions which had been held to be sound up to the year 1914 had been upset since then. The president (Mr. C. H. SVynyard, New Plymouth) remarked that other professions did not go outside the scope of their professions in their examinations.

It was mentioned by Mr. Reid that the three main accountancy bodies in Australia did not, and would not, have economics in their professional courses. It was necessary that professional aud cultural courses should not be taken simultaneously. The real education of an accountant began after the completion of his examinations.

Stages of rookkeeping.

It was resolved to have bookkeeping in throe stages instead of two. The prescription of stage I would be extended so that the examination would be less elementary than it was at present.

The education committee’s rejection of a proposal for the inclusion of statistical method was confirmed by the council. It was stated by Mr. Reid that this subject was allied with economics. It would be difficult to devise a satisfactory prescription. He could not see any practical way of including it in the professional course. Mr. Seaman remarked that he had discussed this matter witli Mr. L. W. Holt (of the School of Commerce, Auckland University), whose opinion was similar to Mr. Reid s. Mr S E Lambert (Wellington) said that mechanical accounting, which had developed remarkably, should have some place in the prescription. Mr Reid said it would be difficult to draw up a suitable question on that subject. Each mechanical system had its own special points. Mr Seaman held that the prescription for bookkeeping, stage 111. was made wide enough to include a knowledge of inechnnieal accounting.