THE DEFENCE INQUIRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4816, 13 March 1918, Page 5

THE DEFENCE INQUIRY.

• -oYEBTE RDAY ’ S PROCEEDING & Press Association Telegram. DUNEDIN, March 12. . Captain Stevens, Group Commander in charge of South Otago, was the first witness before’ the Defence Expenditure Commission to-day. He gave evidence as to waste by hiring typewriting machines. He gave as na illustration the payment of £oo, represented by a monthly payment of 2os. for tlie hire of a machine, when a new one could have been purchased for £7 10s or £lO. Owing to the delay in building a storeroom annex at Milton, the price jumped from £66 to £149. and had to be paid for temporarily. The present system, for filing training records was far more costly and no more efficient than the old record book. If officers commanding districts were given larger powers of expenditure, delay and waste wotilcl be obviated. It appeared to him that the duplication of work occurred more frequently in offices controlled by the Director of Reciuiting and the Government Statistician. It the witness’s suggestion regarding notifying reservists was adopted the country would be saved about £U,O per annum in wires and pos.age alone. Witness gave the career of three men who were classed Cl and finally classed 02 without re-exam-ination. If the director-general of medical services could thus sweep 3 the finding of the C2 epeonjl re-examination boards, such expti sive boards were scarcely necessary. Concluding, Captain Stevens said, he had complied with what he conceived to be his duty m bringing to light suggestions for preventing wasteful expenditure, and lie relied on ■ Sir Robert Anderson had said to Colonel McDonald at Palmerston North, to the effect .that officers who «ave-evidence would not he victimised He made this remark because he had heard that alter another commission some time ago a witness was victimised. __