EFFICIENCY BOARD.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16433, 29 January 1919, Page 10

EFFICIENCY BOARD.

POST-WAR PROBLEMS,

What will be, probably, the final meeting of the National Efficiency Board is to ho held next week in Wellington. All that remains for the Board to do to complete its' work under the order of reference establishing it is to draw up its report on the enquiry held by it into national education. This is a somewhat big task, as the enquiry has been divided into no fower than forty sections, and' to date only a lew of tlie.se sections have been finally considered by the Board. Tho Canterbury Commissioner on the Board (Mr J. A. Frostick) informed a reporter yesterday that when the Board has finished its work, the individual Commissioners will continue ito deal with special repatriation matters which have been referred to them. This comprises the investigation of applications for the return of soldiers to their civilian occupations out of tho order in which they would return to the Dominion in accordance with the arrangements of the Defence Department.

In the past the Efficiency Board has done a valuable work in collating tho important information contained in the reports of British Royal Commissions which have enquired into various problems that have arisen in the British Isles out of war conditions. Referring to this matter yesterday, Mr lYm-tick remarks 1 th <1 i.,-w that :he Efficiency Board was finishing its work and going out of office, it might be wortii ti.e while «'l the Government 1'» consider the setting up. of some small body to go througn these, reports and tabulate' tho information they contain. Although the problems were dealt' with from the British point of view, tJiey were the same problems that New Zealand had to faco and, as was generally admitted, these problems in' New Zealand differed only in degree as compared' With their application to tho British Isles. "It would be a thousand pities," Mr Frostick added, "if New Zealand failed to profit from tho excellent work done in England as eriibodied in these official reports. . Here, for instance, is a report of tho Commission which enquired into tho cost of living of the working classes, and here are several reports specially addressed to the Ministry of Reconstruction dealing with problems that are likely to present themselves for solution in the Dominion. Here is a memorandum from the British Board of Trade dealing with the dye industry and the extent to which, if to any extent, State assistance should be given to it; also, whether assistance should be given the same industry to aid its development by research. The principles that apply to the dye industry also apply to other industries that it might be deemed wise in the interests of the Dominion to encourage. We certainly should profit as far as we can by the J efforts put forth in other parts of the Empire in these and Similar , matters and adapt, when possible, tho principles established by the enquiries made. This would be preferable than for the Dominions to plunge into the unknown and to ignore the results of these enquiries.'.'