DEFENCE STORES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 74, 20 December 1917, Page 5

DEFENCE STORES

A POLICY OF SAVING

THE SYSTEM AND ITS RESULTS

About a year ago, after the Hon. A. M. Myers had been given charge of tlio Defence Department's purchase of supplies, tho I/clence stores at the Military Headquarters, Wellington, was reorganised on commercial lines. Mr. Myers described the beginnings of tho system at that time, and now he is a bio to give -soma information about tho excellent results, as shown in actual ciifih received for waste materials turned to good account, and big savings through the adoption of a policy of strict accounting for every article, big or little, which leaves the store. When Now Zealand's war cifort developed, it outgrew the old system of the Defcnce Stores Department, and the Government decided to place in business men's hands the responsibility of buying all stores and equipment, thus freeing tho military olficials ot that onerous duty, leaving them simply to specify what they required, and ivhon it had to bo delivered to enmps or transports. Tho Hon. A. M. Myers, being a commercial man of wide experience, was selected as tho Minister who would undertake tho responsibility for all transactions concerning the purchaso of goods. On tho other hand, the Hon. Sir James Allen retained, through his officers, tho responsibility for all matters having to do with tho custody of goods, and their issuo. Sinco the inception of tho scheme over two years ago, the Minister of Defcnce has requested goods to tho valuo of approximately £3,300,000, to bo purchased and delivered for military purposes. Tho goods include all classes of foodstuffs, clothing, footwear, head-gear, bedding, forage, harness, vehicles, timber, hardware of all descriptions, drugs, dental and medical roquinit«;, ships' stores, and a great variety oi miscellaneous goods, such as motor lorries, mechanical contrivances, etc. It will ho readily appreciated tliafc under war conditions it is ofttiines difficult indeed to procure what is needed, and consequently the wisdom of tho Government in establishing a Department to specialise in the science of buying its goods to the best, advantage has been amply demonstrated. Indeed, in view of tlio satisfactory results which have boon achioved by Mr. Myers and his advisors, all experienced men of high standing, under what might bo described as unfavourable market conditions, tho question arises as to tho desirability of centralising all Government purchases in such a way as to place them under the control of one responsible Minister of tlio Crown. It costs £15 7s. Id. to equip ono of our soldiers with two complete suits, two pairs of boots, and the necefifiary underclothing and other articles. Many thousands of theso outfits bavo to bo furnishod in tho year, and any savinr; quickly runs into big figures. A good opportunity of effecting economy was discovorcd when the head_ of the Stores Department, Major M'Cristall, inaugurated liis system of having all discarded articles returned to the store. There aro hundreds of men going through the camps every year, who stay but a few weeks, and are discharged. They have been fully equipped, and this expenditure would represent a dead loss to the country but for tho system of returning these outfits to stores. They then go through a sterilising process, are put through a laundry, sorted carefully and renaired if worth the work. Then they are ready for re-issue to home service men, or those who enter the CI training camps. Using these garments enables the country to equip home service and C'l men for £4 6s. od., a Wg saving compared with the £15 outfit of the active-service man. Multiply this saving per man by the number of these kits already issucfl. 3500, and we have the impressive total of £38,500, money absolutely saved the taxpayer by a wise and businesslike system. And this economv will continue at the rate least £6600 wv month, becruisg 3500 of these outfits are required monthly for CI men. Home Service Shoemakers. Fifteen shoomakers who have volunteered for home service are doing useful work for their country at tho Defence stores, iij a well-equipped workshop, where all the worn boots from tho camps come in for repairs. When boots are worn, they must not be discarded, but returned to stores, where, if they are repairable, they are | labelled and sent to the repair shop. The New Zealand military boot is particularly strongly made. It has a substantial insole, and the other sole leather is fastened to this by standard screws. So long as tho insole is good, tho boot can be repaired indefinitely. These home-service bootmakers sole and heel eight pairs of boots a day, which will be recognised as good work. The waterproofing which has been so successful is repeated when the boots are repaired. * The 1918 Boot. The 1918 military hoot will be an improvement on the previous pattern, though there were no complaints this year. It has been found that as the soldier has to do a great deal of kneeling, the boot toe wears out, and loses its shape, 'especially in wet weather. Pads of leather wore used to keep up the shape of the toe, but the wet softened them, and now tlio .leather is being reinforced with a small piece ometal, so that the boot will remain in good shape under the worst conditions. Canvas 6hoes for rest time and ship wear have been discarded in favour oi comfortablo leather shoes, which keep their shape and appearance longer, and are therefore better value to the State, which has so many thousands to keep in footwear. Hospital Blue. All military hospitals in New Zealand are being provided with the bright blue hospital uniforms used in the Old Country. The material is a good, soft serge, with linings of flannel. Another economy on the medicai side is tho establishment ill the chiei centres of garrison dispensaries, supplied from Headquarters, where the drugs and appliances are bought a>. bedrock wholesale rates. There has been an improvement in tho quality of the military blanket. It is now softer than of yore, and a pair weigh nine pounds, which housekeepers will recognise as a good, warm, comfortable covering. Towels have been improved, for those now imported Oirect by the Munitions and Supplies Department are much larger than originally supplied. _ Thus, by closo attention to nttle things, big amounts are saved out of tho necessarily heavy cost of equipping the New Zealand Expeditionary force. An improved system of checking supplies and passing accounts for payment, had resulted in the Department obtaining £1693 in discounts, compared with £85' before the quickening-up p:ocess. The boot-repairing by home service men saves tho country iust about tI.OO per month, for the cost of repairs at lowest contract prices would be £620, while the wages and material, and all overhead expenses of the workshop run into £521 per month. _ It was in June. 1916. that the Defence Stores commenced to turn into cash material formerly discarded, and not returned to store.. Tho new system, though a bit troublesome to sol- j diers and cadets, who now have to send back old equipment, has enabled | £4744 to bo banked to the credit of ] the public account for waste products ,

which formerly brought absolutely nothing to tho State, and were not of much use to the individuals who kept this Government property. It was thought impossible to secure the return of old cartridge cases, but the plan has worked well, and 9d. per lb. is secured for'these pieces of brass. Troopship Savings. By the application of strict methods of accounting for all stores on the troopships, great savings liavo been effected. On one troopship, before tho strict system came into operation, nonconsumable stores for a thirteen-weeks' voyage cost £102135. 6d.; but the same ship on a subsequent voyage of twentytwo weeks, used up only £48 6s. 3d, worth of this class of stores. Clothing for tho thirteen weeks' voyage under former conditions was replaced to the extent of £230 25., but a policy of strict personal responsibility for losses reduced this bill on a twenty-two weeks' trip to £28. In the stores lieavy reserves of stock are held so as to avoid hurried buying and the consequent "rush" prices. Isolated and inconvenient buildings have now been superseded by substantial fireproof premises, wliero stook is kept clean, and easily accessible, under a system enabling the storeman to see at a glance what remains in tho racks and bins, and what has been taken away.