TOO MANY OFFICIALS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 373, 15 March 1932, Page 5

TOO MANY OFFICIALS

Autocratic Army Always Growing. INSPECTIONS OVERDONE. (Special to the. “ Star. ’) AUCKLAND, March 15. The multiplicity of Government and local authority regulations, and the L manner in which they arc administered, were commented upon by Mr C. Le Maistre, director of the British Standards Institution, in the course of an address given before the Auckland Rotary Club. Not only in Great Brit- : ain, but also in New Zealand and other ■ countries, he said, good-natured criticism was rife of thi growing army of regulations governing human life. ! “It is remarkable,” said Mr Le Maistre, “ how a democratic country can, through its officers, become extraordinarily autocratic in its dealings with industries. That does not in any way reflect upon the officers, although it proves that they arc not as closely in contact with those industries as might be necessary. “ I am astounded to see how extraordinarily autocratic inspecting officers can become, while not actually intending it,” he added. “ Surely we are out to make life more liveable and hot to forget that we are here to perform service to the community. I am sure that if heads of departments, who have numbers of officers under their control, were more articulate—and I know it is in them—junior officers would not dare to approach a householder and autocratically tell him what he has got to do to have, say, electric light installed.”