NAVAL CONTRACTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 10 March 1927, Page 8

NAVAL CONTRACTS.

enormous food SUPLIES. A KAPONGA MAN’S RECOLLECTIONS. The Dominion tour of tlie. Diike and Duchess of York has rekindled. goihe vivid ,re collect iotis of .Royal visits in the memory of Mr. R. E. Williams., of Kapphga, duel in. coiiversation, with a “Hawera Stair.’’ representative he,,recently recounted some of, liis youtlifiil experiences as a contractor for naval supplies at Holyhead, Wales.: , During tlie period of , Loi;d Charles Beresford’s control as First Lord of the Admiralty,. Holyhead was a great naval training base, aiid huge contracts for navy, supplies were a necessity. Some idea of the volume of these eon-* tracts may be gathered from the fact that when, under Lord Fisher’s control of the navy, Holyhead lost its status a s a training base, the change created an approximate loss of £2090 weekly,to the tradespeople of the port. Mr. Williams, then in his eaply twenties, was for seven years the successful contractor for meat supplies to tlie navy. . Among his numerous big undertakings in this connection, the most important was concerned with the State visit to Ireland of the late King Edward,. during which Holyhead was the base for the royal naval escort, consisting of 23 battleships, 28 cruisers, and 33 torpedo boats and destroyers. This aggregation of warships constituted the Channel and Mediterranean fleets, which, during a month’s stay at Holyhead, engaged in .naval manoeuvres, including a sham fight. Mr. Williams contracted to supply meat, fresh vegetables, onions, and potatoes to feed for a month the many thousands of officers, seamen, and marines who manned the fleet, and on the termination of the visit was complimented by responsible officers on his achievement. Enormous quantities, of vegetables, etc, had to be supplied daily, and Mr. Williams’s weekly killings averaged 50. bullocks and from .170 to 200 sheep and lambs. He employed 14 hands during the term of his contract.