The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-05-28 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1887.

THE ORDNANCE INQUIRY.

TUE Ordnance "Scandals," about which
everybody was talking some months ago, have
noribeen fully investigated by the Royal
Commission appointed to sift the whole
matter, and the result of the judicial labours
of that inquiring body has this week been
published. Happily, the tale told by Messrs.
A rinit and Hope —not, by thcy way, at all a
flatttring tale—is set aside ;:by the Royal
Commissioners as idle gossip.and insupport-
able accusation of a highly censurable sort,
There is among the Ordnance officials no
such general corruption as these arraingers
of public servants would have us believe;
and the sticklers for purity have had to
admit that in their zeal to denou co even
the semblance of suspicious dealings or im-
proper action they have conjured up a bale-
ful case with no sufficient warrant. The
evidence to substantiate the grave al(ga-
tions made has been, upon close scrutiny,
found wanting ; while irrefutable evidence
to disprove the aceus. tions has bcen over.
looked entirely. It is -well that our war
store control system is thus relieved of a
stigma of the dar.k-est description, or linmili.
etien and indignatioOmust have tilled the
breasts of all those who would fain see
officialdom above reproach. It is well that
it ia made quite clear that there is no
wickedly I:Fshonest and corrupt collusion
between unscrupulous manufacturers, or un-
scrupulous agents of manufacturers, and
those with who.n the passing and acceptance
of stores lies. Otherwise a grea* outcry of ,
opinion would have arisen which would '
have r'elentlessly swept away from their
posts all those whose hands were not clean.
_ But if the result of the Ordnance Inquiry
has been the absolution of the officials from
the heavy and grave allegations under which
they have rested; if it is to be deeply re-
gretted that such a man of honour, of public
spirit, of patriotism, and of probity as
Colonel Hope should have been misled into
making unfounded charges against innocent
officials; if we say, in short, the labours of
the Commissioners show a state of things
that makes one at once more sorry and sat.
isfied that the cry of Ordnance scandals has
risen so loudly, there has yet been an over-
hauling, and on the whole a vindication. In
regret and in anger CJlonel Hope and
Captain Arinit stated that what they had
been led to believe was going on; public
opinion demanded a searching inquiry. The
end is there is no wholesale corruption ; in
that respect the Ordnance officials are as
free from being blameworthy as are the ad-
mintstrators of any other branch of Govern-
mental work, or for the matter of that, the
managers and executors of the business of
any private firm or public company. But if
they are all honest, they are not all efficient.
The charge of corruption was made without
warrant, bat the consequent inquiry discloses
inefficiency and occasional gross carelessness.
Sometimes it is the system which is at fault,
sometimes it is individual incompetence;
but, whatever the cause, it is found that the
officials are some of them Ear from being up
to the mark in their fitness for the tasks
entrusted to them. The charges made
then, however painful, inaccurate, and un-
just in detail, have had their was in
throwing the light upon a weak spot in
our Ordnance stores management, in direct-
ing attention to the wrongs which will prob-
ably now be righted. By reason of these
allegations, lightly made, as is now shown,
we have had an arraignment of the Ordnance
authorities, which lays bare the blundering
of those recalcitrant officials who have neither
adaptability for their. important functions
nor experience in their sp.3(!ial work.
It is to be hoped that these investiga-
tions will lead to such a weeding out from
the service of the men res:)onsible for t!ic
acceptance of worthless stores, :WO 01 u't'll!enL;
weapons, and what not,, tha w sii I he .r
no more of bending bayonets,' -twi!-ting
swords and jAmming gua. A-I‘l m(!.:/ri‘vbi!e,
before the reconimendations i ie James
Stephen's commission luive been fully
adopted, would it not be well that those re-
spoanible for so much 1-ss and vexation
should have adequate and exemplary punish-
ment meted out to them The high officials
in receipt of good salaries or fat pensions
who have allowed good-for-nothing bayonets
to come into the possession of Government
in large numbers by neglect of or inattention
so their duty should have their pay (locked
or their pensions reduced very materially,
even if they are allowed to escape being cut
off the list of those to receive etnoltummt of
any kind from the Ordnance -Department for
all time to come. Something.stringent utast
be done, because the laxity and \yam; of '
vigilance disclosed recently has been so re- ,
prehensible as to have been but a degree less ,
open to the severest censure than actual
. corruption and dishonest collusion would be.
The Commission's Redurt refr lies from
singling out for special rebuke ia lividual
officials by name ;. -but a good manv of those
guilty of grave shortcomings must have boon
examined before Sir James Stephen and his
associates, and for the sake of the efficiency
of a very important branch of the pub.ic
service they should one and all be cashiered
or otherwise be made. to pay the penalty of
their carelessness or incompetence.

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