"DEPARTMENT OF CHAOS."

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16148, 28 February 1918, Page 7

"DEPARTMENT OF CHAOS."

mm W AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE MUDDLE. (FROM OVR OWN COKHESrONDEKI.) SYDNEY, February 19. Evcrrono knew that the Australia* Department of Defence was in a. state of muddlement —one had only tohavea transaction or two with the nnhtary to discover that—but the full extent of th chaos that exists remained to be made clear by a Royal Commission. This body was set up last July, and signed its report in November. It then reported fundamental defects which, in tho public interests, should have immediate and complete remedy"; sa it was only in the natural order of things that the report should be held three months oefore publication. Here are some of the instances of muddlement quoted by the Commission :■ —

1. Stores were collected, in 1915-16 for the equipment of three new divisions, though only one new division was formed in Australia. 2 Though tho monthly reinforcements fell much below anticipation, stocks were still accumulated on the basis of original anticipations . 3 In certain lines, the following stocks have accumulated: —coots, £700.000; jackets and material, £600,000; greatcoats and material, £643,000. , „ . The total in these lines alone £2,000,000, of which £1,250,000 is in excess of requirements. 4. About £30,000 was spent newpattern boots, which woro thou ionna to be unsuitable. 5. There are in store waggons to tne value of £90,000, which have been found unsuitable for military purposes, and which are also unsuitable for farm or trade purposes. # . 6. The stocks of military goods in hand arc worth £6,000,000, of which £2,000,000 represents goods in excess of Requirements. 7. Stocks in New South Wales arc scattered through 25 stores, with consequent heavy expense in handling and protection. 8. There is inadequate protection against fire. In one store £300,000 worth of khaki is poorly protested. 9. The ordnance section is worked by men _ without business training—"a dtlmping-ground for misfits and inefficients." A permanent ordnance section is necessary.

10. There is circumlocution and overlapping in the administration of the Department.

The Commission makes a series of reasonable recommendations for the businesslike organisation of the Department. Meanwhile, no one seems to have got excited over the report, which would have wrecked a Government in any other country. Senator Pearce, the perfectly hopeless Minister for Defence, commenting on the report, says: "I think that the Government should be satisfied that the Defence Department has, under the circumstances, don<> r P . markably well." Millions of pounds cf the people's money have been wasted—but. there is not to be a star or strip© the less in the Australian army. .