The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-29 00:00:00

NO. XIII.-TRIENNIAL SURVEY.

My Lords having considered the present practice in
the dockyards, with regard to the charge of stores, con-
cur with the committee of revision in thinking that the
amounts given by the storekeeper's ledger should be
checked, periodically, by actual survey.
My Lords are aware that the heavy expense with '
which surveys have hitherto been attended has in
duced successive Boards of Admiralty to limit them to a
charge of storekeepers by death, or removal. But, on
the other hand, they see that no private establishment
could go on for eighteen or twenty years without taking
stock, and they ascribe to the want of a similar ri gala-
tion in her Majesty's dockyards both the discrepancies
that have universally arisen between the results of the
survey, when held, and those given by the ledger, and
the want of proper economical arrangements for the
stowage and preservation for timber.
A periodical survey will force upon each superin-
tendent the necessity of seeing that the whole of the
timber, alit:kit-ea and plank under his charge is pro.
perly class. d anti stacked, and the quantities duly re-
corded, or he will be held justly responsible for the delay
caused by his neglect of these precautions. There will
then be no difficulty in making the survey by the help or
the timber- inspecter's register, in which the marks cut upon
the butts of each piece of timber, w hen received, are to
be entered, aed tie surveying officers will only have to
ascertain that the quantities in each stack corr.'epond
Kith those registered, or when timber has beet' drawn
from the stack or shed, to note the diff"rencss between
the remainder and the original entry.
My Lords are therefore pleasi/d to direct that a general
survey be held in all the dockyards, of timber, and every
other article in store, to commence on the lst of April
nc-xt; that its duration be limited to three months—pro•
vision being made in the estirna.es for this purpose.
That the superintendents in each yard be direct, d to
make the most strenuous exertions during the ensuing
quarter, and before the ustablishm, my are al7oted,
prepare the yards for this purpose, by bringing the
stores, and particularly the timber, into better order ;
and that the storekeepers be instructed to begin the sur-
vey in their own ch parttnews, when their stocks are
lowest, by calling in the aid of the store receiver, and be
in!ermod that the results, whi n certified by him to the
superintendent, will be considered as the datum hue,
from which the general survey will begin.
Another general survey will take place on the Ist of
Apr..l, 1852, and once in three years from that time
forwards, and my Lords expect that the superintendents
will give every facility to the introduction of the new
s) stem, which my Lords believe to be essential to good
order, to sound economy, and, consi quenily, to the best
interests of the nasal service, by so shaping the arraT.ge-
merits of their yards as to make them correspond with
the change now ordered.

H. G. WARD.

MODE OF CONDUCTING SURVEY.

The storekeeper general is to privre, and submit to
the board, a plan for conducting the survey, which is to
coma eace in the Ist of April next, in the most efftc-
tNe, expeditious, and economical manner.

- .
11. G. WARD.
NO. XIV.-STOREKEEPER GENERAL TO VISIT YARDS

ANNUALLY.

My Lords are pleased to direct that the storekeeper-
g( 'lend shall resume his annual t the dockyards,
where he is to take ct:gnizince, personally, of all matters
connected with his department, reporting to the board,
upon those points, which he may deem deserving of
,pecial attention.
H. G. WARD.