Administration in the Gas Industry
| Date | 01 December 1951 |
| Published date | 01 December 1951 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1951.tb01427.x |
| Author | E. Crowther |
Administration
in
the
Gas
Industry
By
E.
CROWTHER
Mu. Crowther
is
Chairman of the Northern
Gas
Board and was General Manager
and Director
of
the Newcastle
upon
Tyne
and
Gateshead Gas Company when the
Company was transferred to the Board.
s
its title states, this address is
A
limited to a discussion of ad-
ministration in one only
of
the
nationalised industries. This-the gas
industry-is the one of which
I
have
first hand knowledge, and
I
shall not
attempt to compare and contrast its
administration with that of other
publicly owned bodies which
I
can
only observe from outside.
An even stricter limitation of the
address is implicit in its title through
the use of the words
“
administration
in,” and not
“
administration
of,”
an industry. The distinction is real
in that each of the twelve Area Gas
Boards established by the Gas Act
of 1948 is
a
separate corporate body,
with the responsibility of conducting
its own affairs, including of course
the establishment of its own organi-
sation. Hence the forms of organisa-
tion of the several Boards are no more
uniform than are the physical
characteristics and other special cir-
cumstances which affect them. Rather
than attempt to extract the highest
common factor of the twelve organisa-
tions, I shall base my remarks upon
the operation
of
the Northern Gas
Board, of which
I
can claim a
detailed knowledge.
One last difficulty of definition still
confronts me before
I
can get to my
subject, that is the exact meaning to
be attached to the expression “ad-
ministration.” In its narrowest sense,
it may be restricted to a place mid-
way between policy-making and
management
:
the physician pre-
scribes the medicine, the nurse
administers it, and the patient
manages
it
as best he may. Such a
view would not, however, permit
me to cover the ground which
I
contemplate, and therefore, correctly
or
not,
I
propose to include within
my terms the whole organisation
established and operated by the
Northern Gas Board to enable it
tD
perform its statutory duties.
Duties and Powers
of
the
Board
It
would seem appropriate
te
begin by outlining these duties,
or
at least the fundamental ones. The
Board must
:-
1.
Develop and maintain an
efficient, co-ordinated and econ-
omical system of gas supply for
its Area, and satisfy,
so
far as it is
economical to do
so,
all reasonable
demands for gas.
2.
Develop and maintain the
efficient and economical production
of
gas coke and the recovery of
by-products.
3.
Submit for the approval of
the Minister of Fuel and Power its
programmes of proposed major
capital work, consulting with the
National
Coal
Board and other
coke oven operators in their
preparation.
4.
Promote measures
of
wel-
fare, health and safety for employees
and provide facilities for their
training.
5.
Secure that revenue meets
outgoings, taking one year with
another.
6.
Keep its accounts and records
in conformity with the best com-
mercial standards, submitting an
333
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