Page 22 - BHTA 100 years

Centralised buying, standards work and a court ruling....
In his report to the AGM in January 1960, Chairman CF Rapaport spoke about an issue that has been discussed many times over the years, the question of centralised buying. He told the meeting that, although the Association had received assurances from various people that it was not the intention to centralise buying, he believed the idea to be ‘far from dead’ and that the idea was being actively worked on by the Ministry. He added that he felt that such a policy would be ‘disastrous to our smaller members’ and that, ‘unless we go to much higher levels to air our complaints, we are in jeopardy.’
1960 also saw the election of Mr G Maurice Down as Chairman of Council. His uncle, Arthur W Down had taken the chair at the very rst AGM in 1918. Rules were changed this year so that all senior of cers, from President to Vice- Chairman would be in post for a maximum of three years.
In 1961 the Ministry initiated a system of ‘offered prices’ in response to tenders. When an item was rejected on ground of the cost, the contractor would have the opportunity to accept a suggested ‘penalty price’ rather than losing the option of supplying the product.
The Association lost the Dental Laboratory section this year as the companies belonging to that section found that there was little connection
between its work and the Association. It left the BSTA with 239
members and an additional 15 af liated members.
In 1963 the Association considered for the rst time the possibility of representatives to serve on British Standard Institution Committees. It would be the start of many years of work on such committees by members of the Association. Miss Sawers retired as Secretary this year and was succeeded by Mr Richard Nunn.
BHTA 100 years
Memories from...
“Ray Hodgkinson
When I rst got
involved with the Association in the 1960’s
it was very much a case of groups of people meetin”g in ‘smoke lled rooms’.