ORDNANCE BLAZE
* —. LOSS ASSESSED AT £225,700
(P.A.) PALMERSTON NORTH, Mar. 23
Evidence presented! to the coroner's inquiry by the officer commanding the ordnance depot at the showgrounds, Captain W. S. Keegan, as to the damage caused by the fire on December 31 last, set the loss to the Army Department at £225,700. The total value of all the stock at the depot at the end of December, 1944, was £1,100,000.
Captain Keegan said that the thefts up to the time of the fire were very small from the ordnance depot. The greater part of the over-all deficiencies were the result of miscounting. In two years nine months the losses from all sources ' amounted to £627. For the same period there were brought on charge surpluses to the value of £1,600. Thus the surpluses outweighed the shortages by about £I,OOO. Witness detailed the accounting system of charging for goods. From his knowledge of the store there could be definitely no suggestion that the fire was started to couceal shortages.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 25441, 23 March 1945, Page 4
Word Count
168ORDNANCE BLAZE Evening Star, Issue 25441, 23 March 1945, Page 4
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