EFFICIENCY THE AIM
CIVIC VENTURES IN INDUSTRIAL FIELD
BOARD CONTROL ADVOCATED
The adoption by the City Council of Councillor C. B. Norwood's proposal to set np a board of business men to control the municipal milk department h regarded as an important move in connection with civic undertakings, Mr. -Norwood elaborated his ideas on the 6ubject in an interview yesterday, wheD lie said that as a city developed industrially it must inevitably seek ways and means of managing tliose industries in the best interest of the citizens.
"How is it possible," said he, "to get efficient control of big industrial concerns out of sixteen men returned by a popular franchise? Such a council is elected, and.from ita committee is appointed to supervise an industry of which, most probably, not one of them knows anything. Because such men are xoturned by a popular vote it does not follow, by any manner of argument, that they, are the best set of men to govern an industrial undertaking, though their' general outlook on civao matters may be quite sound. They may be grocers, or butchers, or professional men, who are well-known and popular, but that does not ■ 6ay that they are the men who can best control a big industrial enterprise. Logically, the control should bo in the bands of skilful business men who .would make it their affair to get the completest understanding of the venture and guide it aright. Such men can be.obtained. There are' many able men who have the interests of the city at heart but who are not prepared to undergo the .trouble and petty indignities of contesting an election, with the chance : of being rejected. The weakness with 6oma boards which hare been 6et up in other places has been that they are elected bodies.
"I say -weakness advisedly, as the popular vote is scarcely a test of true capacity. So you have harbour boards, hospital boards, tramway boards, nnd .works boards, composed of men -who. as often as not. are not fitted for the work of controlling such undertakings to the best advantage. But how .would-be the case were members of Buch boards appointed only on 'the one ground—capacity. So I think the City Council has"- a great opportunity. It is, at the present time, undertaking far more detailed work than its members can assimilate. Under a board system.''such as is to be instituted in con•neofion with the municipal milk department, the council would be left free to consider _ matters of broad policy, whilst leaving the. management of its industrial concerns to the boards. Having the power of appointment it could, if the management in any one case was [unsatisfactory, dismiss a member, or for that matter-the whole board, whilst it could bring about cohesion between the different boards for the benefit of {he-city as a whole.
"The best men in the community are wanted, but such men will not stand for election—it is hardly worth their while. But lam convinced that there are men who would be prepared to accept appointment to such boards, not Tor The emolument that would attach to the positions, but becaue they have enough of the true civio spirit in them to give the city -that capacity or genius for business which has made them successful in business life.
' "We already have our tramways, electric light, and municipal milk deimrtmpnts. Now we are talking of municipal bakeries, brickworks, and fish supply. Such big enterprises can only •be made successful by sound management, and I fail to see how Wellington, or any other city, is to get it out of a body of men returned by popular vote. . Councillor Eraser's argument in favour of the payment of members of „ the council is tho very strongest. . 6upp6rt L . for' the, appointment of paid boards." The "weakness of it lies in tho fact that by paying councillors-' you would liiive no more guarantee than at present that you would get men elected of proved business capacity. Even when we .went to the Board of Trade about the priV.e,of milk, they only talked in Tound figures, sixpence or sevenpence a quart and so on, when Jd. difference per quart meant over £(MO. Tho. ideal is to get tho best possible for the job, and that. I am convinced you will not get on the popular vote basis." ';' ■ Councillor Norwood- also said that ho was not yet prepared to nominate the members of the milk board. It would consist of three men, and -he did not ■ propose to offer them more than ,£2OO ayear each. ' . ,
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Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 33, 3 November 1920, Page 5
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760EFFICIENCY THE AIM Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 33, 3 November 1920, Page 5
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