NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Evening Star, Issue 25170, 9 May 1944, Page 7

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSED ORGANISATION NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE MONOPOLY (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 8. " The statement issued by the Associated Chambers of Commerce raising objections to the Organisation of National Development on the.grounds that it was a 'IOO per cent. Public Service organisation ' has been based on a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the recent announcement of the formation of the organisation," said the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Sullivan, to-day. " The statement which 1 made recently referring to combined committees of Government officials and other selected personnel indicated quite clearly that combined committees of Government officers and representatives of outside organisations would bo established to deal with various aspecls of national development. Several Ministers have already discussed the question of representation with the various bodies concerned, and others will be doing so in (he very near future. Other important personnel will also be included on the committees. ".iTo anyone 'who gives serious thought to this important matter of post-war planning and development it will be apparent," Mr Sullivan said, " that the widest outlook, and broadest possible basis are essential if our- national development, is to be reasonable, practical, and successful. The brief outline which I gave the other evening covered mainly the Government side of the new organisation. As I indicated then, this problem is obviously beyond the scope of any one Government department as at present, constituted. "The first thing to do is to link together all those departments which are in any way concerned. The second slep is to widen the scope and outlook of each department by setting up combined committees of Government officers and personnel specially selected from outside the departments. " Tliere will be a number of these combined committees. For example, tliere will be a committee on construction and another on power development, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Works, Mr Semplc, a committee on agricultural* development under Mr Roberts, a rehabilitation and personnel committee (chairman, Mr Skinner), a transport committee (chairman, Mr O'Brien), a tourist and publicity committee (chairman, Mr Parry), an immigration' and labour committee (chairman, Mr Webb), and an imports and shipping committee (chairman, Mr Nordmcyer). I myself will undertake the chairmanship of a committee on industrial development and commerce and distribution. Other committees may be set up from time to time to deal with other matters as the organisation develops.- " On all these committees," the Minister said, " tliere will be representation of the appropriate societies and organisations which can make a contribution to the solution of particular problems, whilst on the various sub-committees which will be established by these combined committees from time to time to deal with specific aspects of a general problem there will be further opportunity to introduce technical and professional experience from outside sources. "In my previous statement I dealt mainly with the aspect of the Organisation of National Development, which concerned the appointment of the central body, a specialised secretariat within the Prime Minister's Department, whose function it will be to initiate, co-ordinate, and analyse* schemes and plans coining forward from all the combined committees. It will ensure that the various committees are aware of the proposals and plans of the other committees, so that arrangements can be made accordingly. Thus the whole scheme will be interlocked and centralised, but will at the same lime be based on the utmost utilisation of the facilities of all the Government departments, together with the co-operative effort of all interested organisations which are able and prepared to help in this important matter."