PURPOSE: To set control characteristics in accordance with operators' requirements, to easily reproduce such control characteristics once set while making them changeable easily, and to make such control characteristics accommodative to requirements of a plurality of operators or required performance of a plurality of attachments.

CONSTITUTION: Data required by an operator as a control characteristic for flow dividing compensation valves 35-40 are stored beforehand in an IC card 100 by means of a data input device 104 and a data write device 106. In the case of operating a hydraulic shovel, the IC card 100 is put in a data read device 101. With switching-over made by a selector switch 102, the read data are sent to a computing section 123 through a selective standard module 122 in a controller 61, and thereby the control characteristic for the flow dividing compensation valves 35-40 are changed.