H.—4

The amounts shown for Navy, Aimy, and Air Departments includes stores purchased by the Defence Purchase Division for the period from Ist October, 1939, to 31st March, 1940. The above return of stores purchased includes all articles of a consumable or non-consumable nature required in carrying out the services of Government Departments, including books, forms, stationery and office requisites, furniture, fittings, mechanical office appliances, motor-cars and other vehicles, implements, plant and machinery, live-stock, and all Government personal property of any description. When compared with the year ended 31st March, 1939, the amount expended in the purchase of stores for all Government Departments during the year ended 31st March, 1940, shows an increase of £570,929. Disregarding the amounts expended by the Navy, Army, and Air Departments, whose total purchases have greatly increased due to war activities, the expenditure of other Departments represents a reduction of £893,199 when compared with the past year. The total amounts expended during each of the past ten years were as under : — £ £ 1931 .. .. .. 4,286,803 1936 .. .. .. 3,251,814 1932 .. .. .. 2,757,214 1937 .. .. .. 5,349,386 1.933 .. .. .. 2,109,698 1938 .. .. .. 7,515,063 1934 .. .. .. 2,417,676 1939 .. .. .. 9,847,154 1935 .. .. .. 2,939,642 1940 .. .... .. 10,418,083 Contracts. At the 31st March, 1940, contracts arranged by the Board were in operation for the supply of the undermentioned items to all Departments : — Batteries for motor-vehicles. Bricks, earthenware pipes, and fittings. Brushware, painters' and general. Candles, soap, and soda. Cement. Chain mesh netting. Coal, coke, and firewood. Cream-separators. Cyclostyle stencils and corrccting-fluid. Diesel engines for driving milking-plant, &c. Disinfectant. Electric lamps. Fencing-wire. Fire-extinguishers. Galvanized sheets, corrugated and flat. Ink, cyclostyle, fountain-pen, and writing. Lawn-mowers. Milking-machines. Motor-vehicle lubricating oils and greases. Motor-spirit and kerosene. Motor-tires. Office diaries. Oil fuels and lubricating-oil for Diesel engines. Oxygen, acetylene, and hydrogen gases. Paper, carbon, toilet, and wrapping. Polish, metal, floor, and boot. Sensitized papers and linens. Spare parts for motor-vehicles. Superphosphate and compound superphosphate fertilizers. Tubes and fittings, galvanized and malleable. Twine. Typewriters and typewriter-ribbons. Uniform clothing. In addition to the above, numerous departmental contracts were also arranged, the principal items concerned being — Aero-engine lubricating-oil. Artificial limbs. Aviation spirit. Boots and shoes for Army and Air Departments. Cloth and clothing items for Navy, Army, and Air Departments. Creosote for Forestry Department. Crockery for Mental Hospitals Department. Foodstuffs (sugar, milk, bread, butter, meat, fish, hams, and bacons, &c). Oil fuel for Government ships. \ Lubricating-oil for m.v. " Maui Pomare." Malted milk for milk-in-schools scheme. Medicines for Native schools. Samoan and Niue Island banana-cases and Rarotongan citrus-cases. Skip-grease and lubricating-oils for Mines Department. Tobacco for Mental Hospitals Department. Tooth-brushes for Navy Department.

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