DAIRY INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1933, Page 13

DAIRY INDUSTRY

A BEILLIAXT THESIS

PRESENTATION TO AUTHOR

Eulogistic references to the work of Mr. George A. Duncan, of Hawera, the winner of the thesis competition recently conducted by the New Zealand Society of Accountants, were made at a function held yesterday afternoon in the Accountants' Chambers. Mr. Duncan's thesis was on "The Accounts, Finance, Costing, and Statistics of Dairy Factory Companies." Those present included the Acting Prime Minister (the. Kt. Hon. J. Or. Coates), the Minister ■of Agriculture (the Hon. C. E. Macmillan), the Minister of Justice (the Hon. J. G. Cobbe), several members of Parliament, and the members of the Dairy Control Board. The president of the New Zealand Society of Accountants (Mr. G. W. Reid), who presided, said that Mr. Duncan had thoroughly earned the honour which had been conferred on him. A text book on the New Zealand dairying industry was shortly to bo published, and in this Mr. Duncan's thesis would be embodied. The publication of the text book would be an outstanding event in the history of the industry in New Zealand. Mr. Reid referred to the steps which the society had taken to make accountancy a university subject, and remarked that the success of the society's efforts;'was shown by the ever-increasing number of students who presented themselves at the November examinations. Mr. Duncan's thesis ran into 400 pages, and there were other entries of almost as great a length. In view of that it could be understood what a tremendous task faced the three judges—Messrs. H. H. Sterling, R. English, and R. Davis— and the society was under a great debt to those three gentlemen. They had given their services gratuitously. The decision of the judges had been unanimous, and they .spoke of Mr. Duncan's thesis in glowing terms. The publication of the thesis was really essential in the interests of the dairy industry. ' In presenting Mr. Duncan with a gold medal, Mr. Coateg said flic duty he had to perform was one that gave him a considerable amount of pleasure. Mr. Duncan had won the 'respect and admiration of the Now Zealand Society of Accountants, and that in itself-was no small achievement. Mr. Duncan's work was known to the Government, which had had occasion to use his services. His thesis had won recognition not only in New Zealand, but in other countries. Mr. Coates suggested that in the event of a further competition being held the- society should taffe as its subject the currency problem. Research into that problem would no doubt be of great value. Mr. Coates concluded by expressing the hope that Mr, Duncan's services would be retained in the Dominion, and that his success with his thesis would encourage him to greater things.