ORGANISING THE COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 February 1917, Page 2

ORGANISING THE COUNTRY.

THE INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY BOARD. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, February 3. The Industrial Efficiency Board met ill Wellington yesterday morning and began tlie very important \\Vk that it lias undertaken at the request of th« Government. The members of the Board, whose appointment was mentioned recently by the Acting-Prime Minister (Hon. J. Allen), are four of New Zealand's most prominent business men, their names being:—W. Ferguson, Wellington; <T. H. Gurison, Auckland; J. A. Frostick, Cliristchuveh; W. D. Hunt, Invercargill. The first business of the Board ia to consider certain proposals recently placed before.Cabinet ; bv the Hon. -T. Allen for the organisation of the man-power of the Dominion, the protection of essential industries, and the development i of new industries with a view to afterwar trade competition. The proposals, which are understood to involve the creation of district committees with advistory powers, were considered 1)V Cabinet, but the Ministers were not prepared to adopt them without further expert advice, and it- was decided that they should be referred to the Hoard. The. scheme will be returned to the Cabinet with amendments or suggestions, and will then be put into operation as speedily as possible. The' powers and functions of tlie Board have not yet been defined exactly. In fact, the Board, like some similar bodies in the United Kingdom, can scarcely be said to have ollicial existence. The members, who are serving the State without payment, have come together at the invitation of the Act-ing-l'rime Minister, and they are placing at"the disposal of die Government their wide business experience and their great knowledge of industrial allairs. It mnv be necessary later to give them tlie powers of a Royal Commission, in order Inat they may take evidence and call for tlie production of papers. • The Hon. .T. Allen stated yesterdny that the 'work of the Board would include a survey of the Dominion's industries, with a view to their classification as essential, partially essentia! or non-essentialy; an estimation of tlie amount of labor required to maintain the essential industries and consideration of tlie effective utilisation and distribution of that labor; and the study of such problems as the preservation of the businesses of men who had to joirr the forces, the development of industries, the utilisation of waste products, an dtlie increase of production. The Minister said he wished it to be understood clearly that the members of tlie Board were' giving' their very valuable services to the State on purely patriotic grounds.