IN MODERN TIMES

Hokitika Guardian, 29 February 1932, Page 6

IN MODERN TIMES

POSITION OF THE ENGINEER. LESS [AUTHORITY. MR D. K. BLAIR’S REVIEW. WELLINGTON, February 26. “It has to be remembered that this is an engineering age—engineering enters into the daily life of practically every .individual in the community,'’ said Mr D. K. Blair, M.l.Mech.E., of Wellington, in his presidential address last evening to the New Zealand [Society of Civil Engineers. •‘Some: labour authorities attribute the present depression to machinery displacing labour, but they do not give machinery any credit for creating industries that could not have come into being without, it.

“However, I question whether it comes within the province of an engineer to take into consideration what labour has-been displaced by introducing labour-saving machinery,” Mr Blair said. “His function is to carry out the work entrusted to him as .cheaply, expeditiously and efficiently as possible and leave, the solution of the labour problem to economists and the like who make a specialty of this now problem. There seems little doubt that engineers will be an important factor in the future economies that must take place in the way of expenditure on public works. Much of the extravagant construction planned in the prosperous era just concluded will have to disappear and more utilitarian methods adopted ; individualism on the part of the engineer will have to be sacrificed, and more standardisation adopted in design and more standard material used. Personally. I never was an advocate of ‘building for ever.' As far as' machinery is concerned I should place a- limit of five years on our vision—who can tell what the engeering requirements or possibilities will be in five years’ time? Private consultants, carry 'practically all their work out hy contract and the work is ""ell and economically done—the Government and public bodies for the past 30 years have carried out most oi their work by day labour, a most expensive method, I consider, in a democratic country.” Mr Blair went on to deal with sub'jects such as engineering and education, which were of particular interest to the profession. The 'university was turning out engineering graduates much in excess of the country’s requirements and most of thorn had to accept positions that did not call for such high professional training. The remedy might be in the establishment of certain secondary industries. Mr Blair referred later to the efforts which the society had made to dispel the imptescy 0 n .that its aqtidties were directed only toward fostering the branch oi engineering commonly known as ‘civil. branches. CONTROL FALLING AWAY. He spoke at length of the present position of the* engineering profession and the society. One of the most seri-, ous matters affecting the profession as a whole was the steadily increasing loss of authority of engineers of public bodies over their staffs and the workmen who should be under their control. In many instances this control was now only nominal. Political influence and other ‘‘puils” kept unsuitable men in ■their positions against all efforts of the engineer to discharge them. 1 ratios unions, workers’ committees, and classification systems were gradually undermining the engineer’s position until his nominal charge Tad practically vanished, the last .straw being the Appeal Board, in which the deciding factor was .the stipendiary magistrate, a most estimable unan in a court of law, but ■totally unqualified to decide whether a man was an efficient, tradesman or

“We old engineers,” Mr Blair said, “who had the privilege of holding the full powers necessary t-o carry out the work we were entrusted with cheaply, expeditiously, and free from faulty workmanship, had the ‘power of engagement- and dismissal,’ without which I hold an engineer cannot efficiently perform his very responsible duties. In the past both in the shops and on the ships the foremen, officers, and men were happy families, mutually (assisting each other, each, individual unit carrying his full load, and the ‘lead-swinging’ so prevalent, to-day was absent. Of course, trades unionism, as wo know it to-day, with all its Communistic ideas, did not exist; the unions of that time were nearly all benefit societies, and therefore only the best tradesmen could gain admission to them.” In concluding, Mr Blair said that just as the Railways Commission had recommended “depoliticalisation for tho railways, he had come to the conclusion that engineers would have to “depoliticaliso” their profession. By this he meant a strenuous effort to establish the engineer in the rightful position he occupied in the old days. If they succeeded they would benefit the profession anu public alike “As the position now stands,” lie said, “a great deal of public engincccring work being; carried out is absolutely valueless.”