WRITTEN OFF.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1924, Page 4

WRITTEN OFF.

l.d.ssß OK S’IATT rrorkrtv.

WKI.I.I.NCTON. duly 20

Dining recent years the Auditor and ( nitroller-Ceiieral has considerably lightened il]) the eimtiol over (hn'crilmeiit prii/i'i'iy by ie.|tiiiing that no a-set he written olf, owing to less or had debts, without the authority of Parliament. Consequently, the list has to he submitted in his annual teporl

to the House, and this year the total reaches £11:1,302 (Is Bd. of which £lB.I*o7 17s 7.-1 represents the value of stores either depreciated nr lost, and Cl).-).‘2!) I (!■> Id the amount of <asll which is deemed ii recoverable. A heavy item appears in the Repatriation Department's aecoitnl. Il is shunu that tlie loss on closing down and realising the Taulierenikittt training fat in was £721!), and that there was also a loss of £IOB on the Transfer of assets of the Werarou training farm to the Agricultural Depat Intent. Another large .sum written oif is £0127 on loans granted to discharged soldiers, “Debtors deceased, bankrupt, or turned out wasters."

The Mines Department has written oil' £!KI3 f i. in connection with a ban to a mining company, lest on realist!-

timi of the security. There are /always large readjust., nieiit.s in connection with the Defence Department's stacks, as it i- impossible to attach responsibility to any individual. For” this reason £|l(ilf> has •been written off as deficiencies of stock on completion of the r-a!e of surplus military stores at Auckland. Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. [{eductions in selling prices during the realisations account for ancther item of £1722. Tile value of •buildings, furniture and equipment of Cashmere Military Sanatorium. which was handed over to the North Canterbury Tins; it'll Board for coni intuition of treatment <;f returned T.B. .soldier patients is set down at £771(1, and is written off. Similar writing o(T has taken place in respect to the furniture and equipment of the Evelyn Firth Convalescent Home. Auckland (£S33>. handed over to the Bed Cross Committee, and the "Rannerdale Convalescent Home, ■Christchurch (£1000) now in the hands of the Bat:iotie Committee.

The heaviest items in the list relate to the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement, account. There has been a total loss of £41.88.1 on realisation of securities i for loans, and it is explained that fur- | ther losses amounting to £371.328 are i under investigation. ! The Post and Telegraph Department j lia.s written off a deficiency of £308.1 J at .stock-taking, and a further £IOOO | for material condemned as useless and ! damaged. I Tim Auditor-General's report ex- j plains that the full measure of loss ' is not disclosed in the schedule, for j the reason that some Departments have not yet adopted the audit' sys» J

tom or complied with the provisions of the Public 1 Revenues Act. However, the system is in operation in such important Departments ns Navy, Health, Defence and Mines, where all losses are duly recorded.