PUBLIC WORKS WASTE

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 October 1931, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS WASTE

MR. COATES’S STATEMENT [FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, October 28. The practice of destroying tools considered to be of no further use to the Public Works Department is to cease and in future such material will be collected and offered for sale at the nearest centre. This instruction by the Minister of Public Works (Mr. J. G. Coates) is the outcome of the Minister’s undertaking to Mr. E. F. Healy (Wa'irau) in the House, that he would make immediate inquiries into an allegation that serviceable tools handed in by workmen on the cessation of work at the northern end of the South Island Main Trunk line were written off and destroyed shortly afterwards. Mr. Coates, interviewed, said that he desired, in fairness to his department., to make it clear that his inquiries showed that the allegation had been found to be based upon a misconception, confusion having occurred in the mind of Mr. Healy’s informant through two sets of tools being involved. “It is found,” stated Mr. Coates “that ihe tools in the first set which were destroyed in the manner and at the time stated were some which were written off a month ago as unserviceable, while those handed in by the men on the occasion referred to in the allegation had not been written off or destroyed.” It was explained by Mr. Coates that no writing off of Public Works equipment and subsequent destruction could be done without authority from the head office, which requires a certificate from the engineer in charge that such equipment, on account of deterioration,

is of no further use to the department and its scrap value Would not justify the cost of transport to a market. A further condition requires that the destruction must take place in the presence of the engineer, thus guarding against misappropriation, which would be possible by bringing forward at a later stocktaking tools previously written off to represent at this stock-tak-ing other tools, which could when in good order, have been sold and the proceeds misappropriated, although the stores would be shown to be correct from a numerical point of view. “The department’s action has been in the nature of a precautionary measure,” said Mr. Coates, “but, nevertheless, J feci that much of the material so destroyed would be useful to someone. Farmers and others would, no doubt, welcome an opportunity of acquiring some of this second-hand material. 1 have, therefore, given definite instructions to the department that the practice of destroying tools regarded as unserviceable is to cease immediately and the material recommended for writing off is to be collected and offered for sale at the nearest centre.” MARLBOROUGH PROTEST. BLENHEIM, October 29. Mr Healy, M.P.. has telegraphed to Mr Coates, that 76 railway rails have been loaded at Wharanui for shipment to Tawa Flat. The telegram proceeds: “In view of your promise that nothing would be removed from railway works, the settlers are awaiting your instructions to cancel this shipment, otherwise they advise me they intend unloading the same themselves.