THE SECOND DIVISION.

Northern Advocate, 2 July 1917, Page 2

THE SECOND DIVISION.

CLASSIFICATION OF MEN.

STATE INTERESTS PREDOMINANT

AUCKLAND, June 30. At a special meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, held yesterday afternoon, when Mr John Burns presided, Mr J. H. Gunson made a statement defining the special function of the Efficiency Board, with a particular reference to the position of the Second Division and its classification. Mr Gunson said that he had no idea of speaking authoritatively as to what was going to happen to the Second Division, as that was primarily a matter for the Government. It devolved Upon the Efficiency Board, however, to classify industries, and it was in this direction that the Efficiency' Board would have direct connection with the position of the Second Division. The Board had already divided industries in four classes, and he hoped that the steps that had been taken in this way would be soon made clearer by publication, which would afford more general information as to the four group classification.

The division of industries into classes was not enough, Mr Gunson continued, but the Board would now have to classify men. It would be in this way that the operation of the Board would directly affect the Second Division. In this classification of individuals the Board could have no regard to individual interest, for the first consideration was the welfare of the State.