DEFENCE STORES ACCOUNTS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25249, 30 July 1947, Page 8

DEFENCE STORES ACCOUNTS

AUDIT DEPARTMENT’S

CRITICISM

NAVY AND AIR FORCE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) * WELLINGTON, July 29. “The position of the defence forces’ stores accounts, put as succinctly as possible, is that those of the Army Department are on the whole satisfactory while those of the Navy and Air Departments are not.” This comment appears in the report of the Controller and Auditor-General (Mr J. P. Rutherford) presented to the House of Representatives to-day.

The report adds that the Navy and Air Departments agree that this statement in regard to their stores is not an unfair one, but submit that the reason lies in the shortage of staff and in the lack of experience and training of those- employed. 4 ‘ “This office, however, has some doubts whether these are all the reasons,” the report adds, “and it recalls at least one case in which a stores office deemed guilty of failure of duty was dealt with in a manner the reverse of severe.”

DEHYDRATION OF ' ONIONS

MINISTER DENIES REPORT OF LOSSES

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON July 29. A denial that big fosses of onions had occurred in a recent purchase for dehydration in Christchurch was given by the Minister of Marketing (Mr< L. Cullen) in the House of Representatives to-day in reply to an urgent question from Mr T. H. McCombs (Government, Lyttelton).

The Minister said 605 tons of onions were bought by the Internal Marketing Division in Christchurch. Of that quantity 420 tons were actually dehydrated and 177 tons were sold fresh. The total quantity lost in re-sorting was only eight tons, or 1.3 per cent., which the Minister claimed was a very small loss indeed. “A loss through wastage .is a normal occurrence in onion trading,” the Minister said. “Such losses are recognised by the price order increments granted month by month. In resorting and selling the quantity which was not dehydrated the division has made a profit on the transaction as a result of these regulai normal increments. The eight tons of •unusable onions were not dumped at the factory but were carted back to the farms of the onion growers at Marshland.”

UPPER HOUSE CALLED BY TELEGRAM

MEMBERS SUMMONED DAY EARLY

IP.A.) WELLINGTON, July 29. The Legislative Council was called by telegram to sit to-day after adjourning last week until to-morrow This is only the third time the Coun cil has been called in this manner since the standing orders were amended in 1937 to allow recall by telegram.

The reason for summoning members a day early was the desirability oi passing the Dairy Products Marketing Commission Bill by Friday. The bill will probably be passed through all stages to-morrow, when the Council will take the unusual course of sitting at 10.30 a.m. This will leave Thursday free for members of the Council to attend the funeral of Mr J. A. McCullough (Christchurch), who died yesterday.

Some Government amendments to the Dairy Products Marketing Commission Bill are expected in the Council, and they will have to be considered by the House.