INDUSTRY BUREAU

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue CXXIII, 10 April 1937, Page 11

INDUSTRY BUREAU

REPLY TO MR. MANDER

MINISTER'S ATTITUDE

UNFAIRNESS DENIED

A reply to1 a further .statemelit'by Mr. A^ E. Mander on. the question of the- procedure of the .Bureau of. Industry was made by the Minister of Industries and Commerce tthe Hon- DG. Sullivan) to a "Posf'representative '■ today. The Minister made particular preference to the reply, to Mr. Mander by Mr.-D: Henry., .the president of. the New Zealand- Manufacturers' .Federation; which, .Mr. Sullivan stated, had been, a 'sufficien answer; . "Mr. Henry-said he wished to comment " upon -only one remark by Mr. Mander and upon Press reference to '•that remark," said Mr. Sullivan/ "In |iisJ. statement given on his retirement from the secretaryship of the Manufacturers' Federation, Mr. Mander had said that he had come upon dozens of cases of misunderstandings between departmental officers and -industrialists when , inquiries into industries:the latter re- ' presented had.been made. .A Wellington newspaper had therefore asked ■why the Manufacturers' Association had not raised the matter earlier, said Mr. Henry. The answer to., that question was that the federation had no . previous knowledge of such misunder- . ."'.. ■ / /: ..' ' ," .' •:. "I have no desire to enter, into a newspaper.'controversy with- Mr. Mander, 'but;1 as: his 'statement may -have -,been regarded with some degree of ■seriousness by; some/people,. I_simply 1 wish to clear up any doubt which may exist that anything in■ the nature of 'Star Chamber' methods .are .used by ' the Minister, or the Bureau of _. Indus.try' in making decisions ■: affecting in■dustry:-'-;.- ■■■':. ■■ '■ :- ;" ;■:;" ■■ ' ' '■' '; ' '•,. . ,'"'STUPip ;ASSe'eTION." '■'■:.-. '■ , ' "Firstly, so far as the Bureau of Industry is concerned, the Manufacturers'..Federation, with which Mr. Mander/ was until recently associated, has two representatives thereon/ and ;theseT gentiemeri would be- the; first to. deny 7 and resent any suggestion of unfairness Or the making of ■ decisions based solely on departmental reports. At my direction the bureau has always "followed the procedure that in every matter affecting /manufacturing industries at least one. of the manufacturers' ' representatives is appointed ...to. the committee dealing with .the matter. The assertion that the fate of an industry or prospective industries rests upon :'some''secret' and biased report of : a departmental' officer is too ' stupid to warrant any consideration. Furthermore, the Industrial Efficiency Act provides that; if the.person.'.concerned is aggr.'ved with the decision he, has the - right to appeal, which shows that every reasonable,' safeguard.: has been provided. So far as decisions, made by myself, as.Minister, are concerned, Mr. Mander will give me credit for having sufficient experience and/common, sense not to make a decision without first making complete and exhaustive ' investigations into every angle of the situation. ].■'.-■.[ .'; ./: ' ' n 'j !t "Mr." i Mander has given me . credit for an horiest desire to assist the manufacturing industries. ; I think.he, too, is sincere in that respect, :but. he lives in a world of his own-.creation, ? and •visualises substance /.where; there is.no < reality whatever. . I;,do npt think.that he can get any. confirmation of, + or :..'suppdrt-.'.fdr^-hi&ii .attit.ude;..frf)m ;! , ;^rie ■•Manufacturers-Federation." .- ir-h;..a •