The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Friday, August 11, 1967 — Corporate members (honorary fellows, fellows and members) of the Rhodesian Institution of Engineers are likely soon to be entitled to use the prefix “Engineer” or its abbreviation, “Eng”, before their names. No other engineers will be entitled to do so.

Parliament today took the committee stage of the Rhodesian Institution of Engineers (Private) Bill, despite vigorous opposition from a number of government members. The third reading was set for tomorrow.

Lt-Col HD Tanner (RF, Braeside) moved an amendment deleting this provision from the Bill. He said there were many engineers in Rhodesia who were just as highly qualified in their profession but who were not members of the institution.

It was unfair that this privilege was to be conferred on members and withheld from others. If the engineering profession wished to protect members of the public and itself against unqualified people who were entitled to call themselves engineers, it should have been done by the introduction of a registration system.

Lt-Col Tanner’s main support came from Mr J Pincus (RF, Bulawayo East) who asked about the position of qualified engineers who were to be precluded from designating themselves as such simply because they did not belong to the institution.

Mr MW Irvine (RF, Marlborough), who was in charge of the Bill, said the provision was being introduced mainly for the protection of the public, who had no means of distinguishing between the large variety of letters after their names that could be used by people today.