FURTHER COMMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 11 December 1940, Page 4

FURTHER COMMENT

INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY REGULATIONS A STATEMENT REITERATED REPLY TO MINISTER [United Press Association] CHRISTCHURCH. 10th December. A reiteration of his statement that , the Industrial Efficiency Regulations j “provide an instrument which can j carry us to complete socialistic con- i trol. or, given a twist, Fascist con- | troi,” was made by Mr T. N. Gibbs in j reply to the Minister of Industries and J Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, who at the weekend described Mr Gibbs’s original criticism, expressed at I a meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, as “an absurd statement of the position.” “It is a matter of satisfaction that the Minister of Industries and Commerce has taken notice of the comments made at the last council meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce,” said Mr Gibbs. “As Mr Sullivan mentions my name and refers to my reported remarks as an absurd statement of the position, it falls to me to substantiate what I said. My comment, as reported, was ‘these regulations provide an instrument which can carry us to complete socialistic control or. given a twist, to Fascist control along the lines of corporation control.’ The latter, of course, refers to close corporations or monopolistic control. NATURE OF COMMITTEES “The regulations are a code of farreaching powers and controls conferred on the industrial committees set up under the Industrial Efficiency Act. These committees relate to any industry licensed under Section 14 of the 1936 Act. This Section 14 confers on the Minister—on his own initiative if he so desires—power jo license any industry so that none in that industry j can operate outside the regulations. An industry is defined to include ‘any | trade, occupation, business, manufacture, works or service of any kind whatsoever.’ “The committees are set up under Section 10 of the 1936 Act. Each committee is appointed by the Minister. It may be a committee nominated, as to a majority thereof, voluntarily, by the industry, or, on the other hand, it may be appointed arbitrarily by the Minister. The Minister may at any time add any additional members or members as he chooses. In all this the Minister has unrestricted authority. DEMOCRATIC RIGHT “I have to agree that there is one provision in the 1936 Act (sub-section 6 of section 9) that does not reserve a definite democratic right, to the extent that no regulation in relation to any ’plan’ for an industry shall be brought into force till such regulation's have been submitted to and have been approved by a majority of persons engaged as principals in that industry. I have searched through the Act and regulations and cannot find any other word or clause that gives any protection or right as against the decisions o' the Minister. I find that in only four industries have any regulations been made under the particular subsection “Taking the 1938 volume of statutory regulations, I see that eight notices were issued under the hand of the Minister, licensing so many industries. Again in 1939 there are 18 notices. In all these cases the industries were licensed by the sole act of the Minister, and without the passing of regulations issued to implement any ‘plan’ for the industry. Accordingly, the special check of sub-section 6 of section 9 was inoperative for such industries. “Now a code of general regulations is issued, which applies automatically! to all industries licensed. They ap-i pear to apply quite irrespective of sub-, section 6 of section 9. If this is so. the industries can be licensed and carried on under these general regulations without having been brought under the specific regulations of tfn industrial ‘plan’ requiring the approval of the industry. NO REFERENCE TO PARLIAMENT “I can safely repeat, therefore, that the Act as now reinforced by the regulations is an instrument W'hich can at any moment and without further reference to Parliament bring about complete socialism or, in other hands, provide the necessary powers to impose Fascist control. “How the instrument being used at the moment is not ihe point at issue. I believe the present Minister is using his powers with 'moderation and with a genuine dc/sire to respect the wishes of those w*io, so far, are involved in licensed industries. • “But the protest voiced in the chamber of commerce isT r&ainst the law as written and against all it implies for the future, as well res the present.”