EFFICIENCY BOARD.

North Otago Times, 20 July 1917, Page 8

EFFICIENCY BOARD.

'■; SIR; JOSEPH WARD'S; '.;}'. REPLY TO'MR ; !fltlNSqN.,;: : '''^ The statement made by Sir Jb'sopli Ward' that lie was not .go'ihg to take any recommendations from, the Efficiency Boards unless jie agreed with them, and that, the board was not going' to take the position oi the Government of the country, was referred, by a representative of the' Auckland Star to the Mayor of.Auckland (Mr,). 11. Gunson), who is-also.a member of the 'Efficiency Board.

"There is no question," said' Mr Gunson, "as to the necessity at...air early date of the position of the Efficiency Board being clearly defined to the country. It is not within my province to speak on behalf of the board with respect to Sir Joseph Ward's re-, marks. That is a question for 1 the board; itself, tot it does not seem inappropriate to emphasise the fact that the Efficiency Board is not'a self-" created body, but was appointed by the Government itself. The members 1 of the board did not seek this office, did not personally want'the office. It was put to them that the, country required theii" services, and they were accordingly asked to give those services, without remuneration and as a national duty. In response that request from Cabinet, they willingly agreed to give their' services. The position, therefore, is that the board has been appointed by tie Government for certain expressed purposes. "Since February the members of the board have done little else than complete a very extensive organisation, inquire into and report upon very many important questions vitally affecting the efficiency of the country, both now, and after the war, The appointment of the Efficiency Board appeared to give general satisfaction to the community at the time. Finally, the Efficiency Board', if it. can bo of- any service to the Dominion, ami thus to the Empire, ,is prepared to render that service as it was at the time the members of the board acceded to the request of the Government to accept the position, 'As far as I am aware there has. never been any attempt om the part of the board to usurp the functions of the Government. II has merely carried out the commission which was handed to it some months ago. "As I intimated on my return from Wellington the'board prepared a comprehensive report, which will now be ready for submission to the Govern-. | ment, covering the whole of the organisation, and reporting upon its work in detail l . The board, as long as it continues in the terms of its appointment, is, and must be, .purely in the hands of the Government. lam not aware what view the Government takes of the work of the board, and whether Sir Joseph Ward expresses the present view of the Government which appointed it, but my own opinion is that a very considerable assistance has been rendered by Mie board's organisation, particularly its trustee boards, to many soldiers called up for service right through the Dominion, and it has/ proved the means of affording information and extending help in innumerable cases. This is only one of the initial.phases of the board's work, Its attention is now being directed to the industrial efficiency of the country during the period of the war and afterwards, and it was generally thought that this question merited all the investigation and consideration which was expertly possible, with a view of advancing the general interests of the Dominion along sound lines "from the standpoint of national efficiency. "It seemed to me," concluded. Mr Giinson, "to be only reasonable that, the public, who have expected so much from the Efficiency Board, should dearly know the position, and I still consider that the board will be able to render good service to the country. It is a matter entirely for the Government, however, to determine if that is to be so or not." i