EFFICIENCY AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 307, 22 September 1943, Page 6

EFFICIENCY AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

An interesting story is told this morning regarding a Government war munition contract. The facts, which will be found set out in our news columns, go to confirm many of the stones in circulation beanng on methods and practices said to be in use in connexion with certain classes of war contracts. They lend colour also to comp amts so frequently heard respecting waste and extravagance.. Incidentally, ley also have something to say for the efficiency of private enteipnse am a worthy desire to render service to the community. Jt will be seen that in respect of the particular contract m question, the making of the component parts of hand grenades, a private engineering firm engaged on the work made representations. oi u. more economic production of this particular weapon of wat. _ie persistent efforts of the firm to persuade those in. authority ot the wisdom of the course suggested were for some time fruitless, but finally, with the aid’of practical demonstrations, at the linns own cost, permission was obtained to carry out the changes suggestec The outcome was a saving, in manpower, increased production, an lowered costs. Actually, the firm concerned finally handed over to the Government a cheque for £16,032 representing the amount ot the taxpayers’ money it had been able to save, on this conti act alone. Was the Government grateful? Was it effusive in its thanks to the firm for its public-spirited action ? The story as told is that not only did it fail to show any appreciation whatever of the handsome saving the contracting firm had been able to make, but it even debited the film (long after the £16,032 cheque, had been paid over) with. the cost ot the grenades used in the demonstration to convince those in authority how the £16,000 could be saved. However, the full story is published in our news columns with, by way of emphasis, a facsimile of the cheque itself, and it will no doubt excite a good deal of inteiest.