MUNITIONS DEPARTMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 42

MUNITIONS DEPARTMENT

VALUABLE WORK BY EXPERTS. (Feom Onß Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 17. . " Wo have saved a quarter of a million if we have saved a shilling," said the Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister of Munitions, in the course of a talk to-day about the work of his department since ho has had charge of it. This was not his first remark on the subject. Mr Myers was speaking at the time of the great assistance he had received in the working of his business from the experts who have been assisting him from the beginning, and in this connection he mentioned speoiaily Mr Morrison and Mr S. Kirkcaldie. Ho considered that the help of these two gentlemen had been invaiuable to him and to the State. As a result of their supervision of purchases and manufactures, the New Zealand soldier was being supplied with clothing, the material of ■which compared more than favourably with that of any other soldier at the front. Considerable savings had been made by the purohase of large quantities of supplies in advanoe of requirements. Some of the commodities such as linings, cottons, and buttons had become extremely difficult to obtain since the time that the purchases were made, so that the early buying of large quantities had not only ensured that the country would have enough of these things, but had assured that we. should have them at a moderate cost. Speaking of contracts and the manner In ■which the manufacturers were filling their obligations, Mr Myers said that ho was satisfied that thero was no activity' in the country in which there was less profiteering than in the manufacture of munitions ana .supplies. Occasionally there were matters

of detail to which the attention of the contractors had to be called, but not for a long time had there been any breach of contract or any discovery of anything approaching dishonest Svorkfnanship. Replying to a question, Mr Myer 3 admitted that ho thought the stern measures taken at the outset against manufacturers who were attempting to supply inferior clothing or other goods to the soldiers had had a salutary effect.