EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY

Grey River Argus, 20 October 1936, Page 2

EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY

Amendments to Bill ORGANISING OF PLANS BY COMMITTEES. WELLINGTON, Oetolmr 19. Numerous amendments (<i the Industrial Efficiency Bill were introduced by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. f>. (I. Sullivan) during the committee stages of the Bill in the House of Representatives. The most important amendments dealt with Hie operation of industrial plans. The Minister may require the bureau to submit to him a plan for the organisation of any industry. Alter making the necessary investigations, the bureau will prepare tt. provisional [dan. and the Minister will then give public notice in tho Gazette of the material proposals contained in Hie jiian, together with details of the proposals to persons and organisations directly interested; Additional recommendations or objections will be referred to the bureau, which will lie given poxver to amend (he provisional plan us it thinks fit.

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES. A plan can be. put into operation by Order-in-Council, provided that the Governor-General-in-Couneil is satisfied that the material proposals contained in the plan or regulations have been approved by the majority of per sons engaged as principals in the industry concerned, or by the employers of a majority of workers in the industry. Any amending or revoking regulations must be in the public interest. I’ower is given to the Minister to appoint industrial committees to assist- in carrying out any industrial plan, and he may specify the method of appointment and extent to which the various sections are to be represented. An existing body concerned with the organisation or operations of an industry may be appointed as the industrial committee for that industry, with or without further members.

The ehairman of any industrial committee can hold office only with the approval of the Minister. In the event of the Minister deciding that a particular committee is not co-operat-ing with the Bureau of Industry, he may call for its replacement, or himself appoint another committee in its stead. The committee concerned will be required to report to the Minister during the operation of an industrial plan. A new provision extends the power for the imposition of levies to defray expenditure in relation to industrial plans to provide payment of compensation. The amount of levy in all eases is to be fixed by legislat ion.

SCOPE EXTENDED. Manufacturing and agricultural and pastoral industries are to be given direct representation on the Bureau of Industry. The scope of the bureau’s activities is to be extended to take in an investigation of the capitalisation of industries and industrial finance and to collaborate with the New Zealand Standards Institute in any arrangements for standardisation and simplification. The reputed .integrity of applicants for the licensing of new business will not now be considered. In place of this provision, the bureau will have to be satisfied of an applicant’s technical knowledge and experience.

The bureau will no longer be required to consider whether the maximum efficiency of established units 01 production is more likely to be obtained by the extension of an established unit than by creation of an additional unit.

Speaking on the short title, Air. Forbes said he thought it was a serious error to proceed with the Bill atthe present, stage. It would nave an adverse effect on trade with Britain. He referred to the criticism made on the Bill by a prominent English business man in Dunedin, and said undoubtedly those remarks would be cabled Home and would be heeded as coming from the man on the spot. Mr. Sullivan referred to the powers that already existed in the Board of Trade Act/ t* control industry. He went on to refer to the businessman mentioned by Air. Forbes, and to tho hospitalitv that had been extended to him, and his party by the Government. The Government’s reward was that that gentleman was following the steps he took in Canada, where he delivered a criticism of the Canadian Government, and where the strongest exception was taken to his remkrks. He was no sooner in New Zealand than he presumed to interfere in the legislation before the New Zealand Parliament, dealing with her own internal affairs and internal economy, and suggesting the Government should consult the financiers of Lon non, before the legislation was passed. He (the Alinister) would be immensely surprised, if the visitor -who had taken upon himself to instruct, the two Dominions of Canada and New Zealand, regarding their method of conducting their affairs, if that action were not stronglv resented by the authorities in the Old Country. To hint, it seemed a most extraordinary attitude, and very much like a visitor going into a man’s home, and presuming to discuss the internal economy of the home. Air. Sullivan said that it was absurd to suggest, that the Bill would be used as a means of discriminating against the British manufacturer. There was absolutely no reason for that assumption.* Complaint was made about the wide porvers contained in the Bill, but nothing was said about the terms of the Board of Trade Act. He was profoundly surprised and disappointed to observe that a visitor to New Zealand, who, on his own admission, had received the utmost hospitality and couitesy, should have seen fit to criticise the Bill. Air. Sullivan said that he had met Viscount Elibank and the Government had placed a car at his disposal. The noble gentleman was following in exactly the same steps as he followed in Canada, when he had to be corrected by the Alinister of Defence.. No sooner had Viscount Elibank arrived, in New’ Zealand than he endeavoured to interfere with the passage of legislation through the House. He interfered in New Zealand’s internal affairs. ~ .

The Alinister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry): A disguised threat. Mr. Sullivan said that Viscount Elibank appeared to think that before New Zealand passed legislation it should consult the City of London. The Alinister said he would be very much surprised, indeed, if Viscount Elibanks’ eriticism was not resented by the pepole of Britain and the authorities there. He did not think it good taste to bring up the fact that New Zealand had extended to visitors certain hos-

pitality. It was given without any thought of re-ward, or that any benefit -was to be gained from it. He thought it would have been worth ■while to discusse the question with the visitors, and ask them whether they thought it would have the serious reflections that had been pointed out before the legislation was passed. Air. Barnard said it was quite open to any visitor to New’ Zealand, it he was a man with special information on any subject, to make that information known to the heads of the Government. The heads of any Government in NewZealand were at all times, willing to receive advice, even criticism, in their offices from visitors to New Zealand, if they were qualified to give that advice or criticism. If Air. Forbes were in Britain, and some legislation was before the Commons, and he thought it would have a detrimental effect upon the people of New Zealand, he would go to the Prime Minister or Alinistcr-in-Chargc of the legislation privately, and put his views before him in that way. .Mr. Barnard was sure thHt Air. Forbes would be the last man to go to the newspapers and publish statements setting out his views on the legislation proposed to bo passed bv Britain, or broadcasting it. Air. Barnard thought Mr. Forbes ’ would have too much good taste to adopt any such method as that. He went on to say that if the gentleman in question had waited on the Alinister. he was sure the Alinister would have been very pleased indeed to have listened to his comments, and to anything he had to say. Air.' Sullivan asked Air. Forbes if he had consulted the people at. Home when he had raise dthe exchange rate. Air. Forbes: If there had been an organisation to deal with, I would have consulted it. (Laughter.) Air. Polson said that apparently t'fe Government suggested that a visitor to New Zealand should either express his views privately or not. at all. Britain was New Zealand’s best customer. Mr. Parry: On a pro rata basis, we are suggested as being as good a customer of England as England is of us. Air. Polson: That shows the ignorance of the Alinister. He is ignorant of most things.

Mr. Parry: ft might be better to be ignorant than to be a fool. Air. \V. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo), sought a ruling from the Chairman of Committees (.Mr. E. J. Howard) as to w’hether it was Parliamentary to refer to another member as a fool.

Air. Howard =aid that Mr. Polson had described Mr. Parry as ignorant, and Air. Parry had described Mr. Polson. as a fool. It w T as di’', icult to say who was at fault. Air. Polson: I regard the Minister as the biggest fool in this Government, and everybody in t.nis couniw regards him as the bigges; f-ml in this Government.

Air. Parry: I will sert’e this matter outside.

Mr. Polson: You are running true to form, and I congratulate you. Air. Polson apologised far anything he had said to upset the equanimity of the House. Air. Parry said the Government nad not yet started to organise the country in tho way it ought to be organised. Before‘they started to fill New Zealand’s empty spaces, they had t« plan to see that the job was done properly. New Zealand bought from Britain, goods to the value of £B/11/9 per head. The population of Britain bought goods from New Zealand to the value of 16/- per head of populai’on.

While Britain was a gmd customer of New Zealand, New Zealand was a good customer of Britain. New Zealand bought four times more per head of population than Canada, and twice more than Australia per head of population. Mr. Savage said lhe object of the Bill was to put industry in New Zealand on a more scientific basis than it had been in the past. He strongly commented on what he said was an attempt by the Opposition to draw out statements that would injure New Zealand in the Old Country. The Government was not going to do anything that would reflect on Now Zealand’s best customers overseas, and those who said the}’ were doing so were acting not only against the people of" New Zealand, but against the people of Britain.