Toilet-seat price now $l00

Press, 7 February 1985, Page 10

Toilet-seat price now $l00

NZPA-Reuter Washington The price of toilet-seats used by the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force dropped yesterday. Stung by unfavourable publicity over the toiletseats that it sold for SUS6OO ($1278) each, the Lockheed Corporation had cut the price to SUSIOO ($213) the Pentagon said. It had received a refund cheque from Lockheed for the 54

seats the Navy bought. The expensive toilet-seats are being fitted into Lockheed’s American-built P3C long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Australia has 10 P3C Orions and is replacing another 10, older, P3Bs with the newer C models. Senator William Cohen, a Maine Republican, disclosed the cost of the toilet-seats — plastic units that fit around toilets on Orions —

during a hearing on Tuesday on the Pentagon’s ?U5313.7 billion 1986 budget request. Shortly after the disclosure, the Pentagon said that it was conducting an investigation. The Pentagon said that owing to Lockheed’s higher refund the issue was closed, although it would no longer buy seats from a sole source but ask for competitive bidding. The refund puts the toiletseats in the same category

as the Navy’s SUS43S ($926.55) claw-hammer.

When that was disclosed in 1983, the Navy Secretary, Mr John Lehman, wrote to the firm that sold the hammer, the Gould Company, noting the hammer could be bought for SUSIS ($31.95) at hardware stores and suggesting Gould make a refund.

Shortly afterwards, the Navy received an SUSB4,OOO ($178,000) refund.

In another case the Air Force paid SUS67OO ($14,200) for a coffee-maker for its giant Galaxy cargo planes. When that price was disclosed, defence officials said that no cheaper models were available for such large planes. Officials say that there is more competition now and that the Pentagon is buying coffeemakers for its newer Galaxys for SUS3O46 ($6487) each.