GOVERNMENT STORES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24418, 2 October 1940, Page 6

GOVERNMENT STORES

INCREASED EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENTS OF ARMED SERVICES (From : Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. Oct, 1. Government expenditure on stores of various kinds for all departments for the year ended March ■ 31, 1940, totalled £10,418,083, states the annual report of the Stores Control Board, which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day. The total represents an increase of £570,929 compared with the sum spent in the previous year, but the report states that disregarding the amounts spent by the Navy, Army and Air Departments, whose purchases had greatly increased owing to war activities,, the expenditure of other departments represented a drop of £873,199. War Reserve Stocks “From September, .1938, the-board was actively engaged in arranging for the purchase of reserve stocks of essential materials for the armed services,” the report says. It reviews the steps taken to survey immediate requirements and the nature of the supplies needed in the, event of mobilisation. The items covered were mainly uniform cloth, woollen clothing and general camp equipment. “In view of the large quantities of woollen cloth, blankets, socks and underclothing required, each mill was required to undertake the manufacture of a definite quota of supplies so that in the event of war the whole of the woollen manufacturing resources of the Dominion could be called upon,” the report says. “On the outbreak of w T ar production was speeded up to meet war requirements and contracts were arranged for the manufacture of cloth into uniform garments.” Use of Local Resources The value of the purchases of reserve stocks of clothing and boots arranged by the board amounted to over £200,000, A Defence Purchase Division was established in September, 1939, to purchase stores requirements exclusive of groceries and foodstuffs for the Navy. Army and Air Departments for the duration of the war. Until March 31 of this year stores exclusive of forward contracts to the value of £708.771 were purchased “ Wherever practicable, the manufacturing resources of local industry and the Government workshops have been used to the fullest extent throughout the year for the supply of requirements, both for defence purposes and for stores used by Government departments' generally.” the report concludes,.