CONTRACT FOR UNIFORMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 983, 25 November 1910, Page 2

CONTRACT FOR UNIFORMS.

»- : . ' .'. THE GOVERNMENT TENDERING: : , SYSTEM. . : . According to Mr. Wright, II.P. fop Wellington South, the whole system of Government tendering requires to ba; looked into. Some days-ago'he inquired-' - of the Premier wliythe contract for soma .. uniforms was not given to the. lowest ten-;' - derer. - In reply the Premier stated m the Housa - on ■Wednesday that the uniforms were only part of the contract. The lowest \ ten'der, Sir Joseph Ward continued, was .- declined-because !he sample sent in for, tlio prieo was considered. of inferior quality. "If it were the 1 practice to always accept the lowest tender for'the articles,"he added,' "Tery unsatisfactory . results. ; would follow." - ■ ' : Commenting on the reply, Mr. Wright said it was not true that the sample was', of inferior quality. Would, the Govern-; - , ment allow their answer to be, tested?. As a matter of fact, one member of th«. firm had retired, and it had reduced the " price because it felt it no longer had any influence. Mr. Wright added that it, was only a -small matter, but the reply; ; given by the Minister 'was absolutely... wrong. ■ The Premier, in the .course of a further.-' replv, said that .the Government had' no- ' thing to do with the acceptance of tha contract. As a matter of fact, the ten- : ders were with by the . Clerk of Parliament., who "had expert advice. .The , - reason which he had given was correct. .' Further complaint was made last year when tho successful tenders were cut up. The fact that tho constitution of the firm in question was altered had nothing to do with the matter." .