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Otago Daily Times, Issue 15748, 26 April 1913, Page 8

STORES FOR THE ENCAMPMENTS. It will be observed that the actingMinister of Defence made no attempt yesterday to justify the methods -which were adopted by the department in making provision for the supply of stores to the Territorial encampments at Sutton. Mr Rhodes doubtless realised that an arrangement under which the merchants •svho are, from their proximity to the site of the encampments, in the best position, to sopply goods to meet the requirements of the forces were not given eo much as an opportunity of quoting prices is not defensible. There may be certain advantages, from the point of view of the headquarters staff of the Defence forces of tire dominion, in a plan under which one firm in Wellington is entrusted with a contract for supplying the stores to all the encampments. The public interest clearly demands, however, that a chance of competing foT a contract of this magnitude or even for a contract for supplying any one encampment should bo afforded to ail who are capable of undertaking, and willing to undertake, the obligation. A contract let under such conditions as that which Messrs Joseph Nathan and Co., of Wellington, secured for supplying stores to all the encampments may really be a disadvantageous one far the Gorornmant. An important lactor in the matter is, of course, that of price. It would not ordinarily be supposed that a Wellington firm could supply stores to an encampment at Sutton on such favourable terms as those on which a Dunedin firm could do so, or that a Wellington firm could offer the department better terms for supplying an encampment at Yaldhurst than a church' iirni could. And unless the particulars of the prices at which Messrs Joseph Nathan and Co. contracted to sapply the stores are disclosed 60 as to show that the terms offered by them were more liberal than could in either case have been obtained nearer at hand the department will certainly be under the imputation of having entered into a foolish as well as an un-business like contract. Doubtless information oil this point can bo obtained, if necessary,'-when Parliament meets, bnt there does not seem, to be an sufficient reason why the prices that axe to be paid under the contract should not be published in the same way as the particulars of tenders for other supplies are published.