EFFICIENCY PLEA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20547, 6 May 1941, Page 3

EFFICIENCY PLEA

N.Z. MANUFACTURERS DOMINION PRODUCTS IMPORT POLICY UPHELD PRESIDENT’S ANALYSIS (Per Pram Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. “I would appeal to the manufacturers of New Zealand as a war effort and for their own future protection to ensure that efficiency is made the first goal of their activities,” said Mr. C V. Smith, Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation yesterday, following his return from a visit to Australia where he investigated industrial conditions on behalf of the Dominion manufacturers.

Pie said that New Zealand’s import selection policy had proved a God-, send to the Dominion in the present circumstances. He added that the quality of most of the goods being, manufactured in New Zealand was, high. “Despite the fact that in many cases our industrial expansion has come at a later stage than that of Australia, there is no question about our ability to produce goods which compare more than favourably with what I saw in the Commonwealth,” he said, Mr. Smith said New Zealand could not produce all the munitions we re-' quire but could and was producing as' many types as possible. New Zealand could, however, pro-, duce most of her civilian requirements and if employers and employees alike, realised the seriousness of the position and set their minds to the job they could greatly increase production. “England is crying out for many things we can make here and naturally it is the least we can do to supply these needs, ever if we go short ourselves,” he added. Increased production, however, would probably enable us to provide both requirements, and it was up to New Zealand 1 manufacturers to rise to the occasion as, in fact, they had already done in many directions.