ABSTRACT
At the Ministry of Munitions, as Controller of Factory Audit and Costs, the author have, inter alia, been in charge of the audit and costs of all the National Factories, and, with the exception of the explosive factories, have been responsible for the systems of costing introduced. These systems necessarily vary according to the type of undertaking, and, with the exception of the iron ore mines in Cumberland and Lancashire and certain quarries, the cost system at National Factories, &c., would not be applicable to the coal industry. The value of efficient costing in business administration has not been recognised generally in this country. The main purpose is not merely to determine the production cost in order to fix the selling price. The benefit derived from the costs depends entirely on the extent to which the information thus obtained is used by the management in the control and administration of the business.
