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

NO. 111.-WORNING 'TOURS.

leaving they ar3.
The tickets, w hen taken up by the men, are to be
posited in b .xes kept by the leafing en .n, erei eete
of the different trail to wiecii ineu Oeieng, t:,-
respecrife soi keg placer; sit:'
be re-opened witil the ten tninu:e,' for dieine,',
qui. tnig the yard, has actaatiy 6.4cuti to ring. The str:er-
iritendent is to take care that the muster galleries are
opened at the same time, and not sooner; so that the
men, Navin; to take up their tickets at the ship's site,
and then to deposit them in the muster galleries, will ,
not leave the yard before the time intended by the re-
gulations. H. G. WARD.
NO. IT.—SUPERINTENDENCE AND WORKING STRENGTH.
Having fixed the working strength of the yards, my
Lords have also considered the amount of superinten-
dence, and they see reason to believe that it consider-
ably exceeds the legitimate wants of the service.
The whole of the evidence collected by the crmmitree
of revision proves that a leadin6, man may take charge
of 20 men as easily as 15. which was the numb-r fixed
by the " Dockyard Cinder" of February 27, 1847; and
my Lords are consequently pleased to direct that the
yards shall be new shoaled in March next, and the six-s
of the gangs increased from 15 to 20. including. appren-
tices, 19 men aid boys being paced under each leading
man, and three leading men under each inspector.
Tbis will make a redu2tion of 51 hading men out of
219 now employed in the doekyarde; bat as men who
have earned their present situation by pa sing the ex
aminatien ri quired cannot be deprived of it will out in-
justice, my Lords desire that, after superannuating such of
the leading men as are no longer fit tor active duty, the
intended reduction in the number of the remein.ler shall
be made by filling one vacancy in t*o, leaving the extra
leading men, for the time, at the disposal of the master
shipwrights.
At Deptford, whore no promotions have been made
under the new system, the reduction will take place im-
mediately, the extra leading men being reduced to their
tools after the yard is re-shoaled, with the promise that
they shall be note 4 for the first vacancies.
My Lords also consider that the present number of
inspectors is larger than the new distribution of labour
will warrant; and they are, consequently, pleased to re-
duce eleven inspectors—seven of shipwrights, and tour
of joiners, as will be shown by the printed forms of the
new establishments.

My lords are pleased to direct that from and ate/ the
Ist of Match next the working hours in all the dock and
victualling yards shall be regulated by one %Worm sc..4:et
which is to be as follows:

My Lords are also pleased to reduce eight foremen :
—One at Woolwich, one at Chatham, one at Sheerness,
two at Portsmouth, two at Devunport, and one at Pem-
broke.

NEW SCALE OF WORKING HOURS IN ALL HER MAJESTY' .8
DOCKYARDS AND VICTUALLING YARDS.

The master shipwrights and master shipwrights' as•
sistants remai❑ unaltered. H. G. WARD.

NO. VI -MORNING MEETING OF OFFICERS.
My Lords, desiring to secure a prompter co-operation
between the different departments of the dockyard:;, and
to afford to the officers in charge of them more frequent
means of communicating immediately with the superin-
tendent, are pleased to direct that a morning meet:rg of
all the principal officers be held at 9f A.M. precisely in
each dockyard, where the orders for the day are to be
read in the presence of the superintendent, or of the
officer next to him in rack. _ _ _

Dell ririgs•
Gates close. Bell rings. Gates close. 6 m. before- i
Dee. Ito Jan 30 7'45 1150 1.10 4-15
February
Mar. Ito Os,:t. 30 7•10 11.50 110 6.00

hty Lord:desTrelt to be understood that at this meet-
ing any principal officer may make personally, and pub-
licly, such suggestions to the superintendent as he may
think necessary for the better conducting of his depart.
ment, or for the more prompt execution of the particu-
lar duty assigned to him, which under the present sys-
tem he can only do by a written communication, passing
through the superintendent's clerk; and where two de-
partments are concerned in the same order, the superin-
tendent will have the means of satisfying himself that it
is properly understood by both.
My Lords see reason to believe that many misunder-
standings and delays will be put an end to by this ar-
rangement; but, in carrying it out, the superint,,ndents
will recollect that their first duty is punctuality, not
merely because the officers should not be kept from their
duties unnecessarily, but because the regularity of their
own attendance will serve as the measure of that of the
dockyard. H. G. WARD.
NO. ♦IL-QUARTERLY MEETIN) FOR THE DEMAND OF

STORES.

The progressive increase of the vote for stores, which
has risen from 496,958/. in 1835, to 1,694,1521 in 1846 7,
and has averaged 1,521,032/ during the last three years,
has called for the most st riot's consideration of the Board
of Admiralty.
My Lords are aware that a large proportion of this
increase may be ascribed to the purchase of machinery
for the steam navy, which amounted, in 1846-7, to no
less a sum than 450,0001., and to the growing consump-
tion of coals, which reached 108.180/. in 1847-8. But
they are also convinced that there is room for much
greater economy in the use of stores, and that this Ns ill
be best enforced by making the superintendents respon
Bible both for the demand and the expenditure, over

which at present they exercise no direct or persons
control.

The storekeeper of each yard now receives, at the
commencement of every quarter, from the professional
officers, the demands" for their respective departments,
and calculates his own by the quantities remaining in
store of the principal articles required. But these calcu-
lations are very loosely made. The "demands" are not
formally brought under the notice of the superintendent,
nor does he consider it a part of his duty to ascertain, be-
fore transmitting them to Some rset House, whether there
may not be on hand, " repairable" articles fit to supply
their place.
e-e.My Lords are, therefore, pleased to direct that the
professional officers shall make their "demands" upon
the storekeeper on the sth day of the first month of each
quarter, and that on the 7th, or on the following day, it
the 7th be a Sunday, the superintendent shall hold se,
estimate board, to be attended by all the principal offi-
cers, at which the demands of each department shall be
discussed arid settled. The result is to be communicated
at the usual time, and in the ordinary form.. to the Store-
keeper-General, who now receives on the 14th, and 21st,
of the first month of each quarter, a return of the Tien-
tities of each article in store, and of the probable wants
of each dockyard (Forms No. 162 and No. 163); but
the superintendent is to communicate directly with the
Board of Admiralty, and to state that the demands for
the quarter have been duly considered at the estimate
board, and do not, in his opinion, exceed the legitimate
requirements of the yard.
In those dockyards where there are factories or metal
mills a separate statement of their "demands" is to be
made at the estimate board by the chief engineer, and
not departed from, when sanctioned by the superinten-
dent, with due reference to the work in hand, and to the
probable wants of the ensuing quarter, without the
special sanction of the beard. For my Lords ascribe to
the novel, and unforeseen, demands of the factories the
growing excess, under vote No. 10, upon the standing
contracts, which has risen from 6,3351. in 1346, to
74,9961. in 1847, and to 54,0001 in the first six months
of the present financial year.
My Lerch are also pleased to direct that, in the super-
intendent's quarterly return, the storekeeper of the yard
shall insert the money value of the stores demanded, as
well as the quantities, so that it may at once app ar
whether the demand for the quarter exceed its fair pro-
portion of the Parliamentary vote.
An account of tle works in progress, and of the pro-
bable expenditure upon them, should alto be laid before
the superintendent, at the estimate board, by the officer
in charge of works ; and the certificate of the audit of
the wages for the preceding quarter is to be made out,
and transmitted, at the same time; so that each of these
quarterly meetings will present a complete epitome of
the progress and requirements of the yard.
A record, or register of the proceeeings of the esq-
mate boards is to be kept by the superintendent's clerk,
and to be submitted to the Board of Admiralty upon its
annual inspectioe of the dockyards, it being their Lord
ships' intention to examine closely into the manner in
which these instructi,ons have been carried out.
H. G. WARD.
NO. VIM—MONTHLY RETURNS OF EXPENDITURE OF
STORES.

My Lords having provided for a more regular " de-
mand " of stores, are desirous to introduce some addi-
tional check upon thfir expenditure.
At present, this is by no means a satisfactory state,
for, although the check upon " issues " is complete, no
stores being issued, however small the quantity wanted,
except upon an " issue note," signed by a foreman. or
by the head of the branch, or trade, for which the stores
are required—which "issue notes" are sent daily to
the superintendent's office, and checked by his clerk into
what is termed the " abstract sheet," and from the
" abstract sheet" into the ledger—still these minute
precautions are not turned to proper account, the total
monthly expenditure of stores not being officially shown,
or its progress so traced that at the close of the year,
when an excess has occurred, my Lords msy at once
acertain where and with whom the responsibility rests.
My Lords are, therefore, pleased to direct that a
monthly return shall bo prepared in the superintend-
ent's office, embracing all the principal articles of ex •
panditure, with a view of ascertaining to what extent
they exceed or fall short of the parliamentary vote.
All the materials for this return exist already, for the
issue notes, when entered in the ledger, are " totalled"
monthly, after being converted into money by the rate-
book now in use; and a balance is struck quarterly in
the receipt ledger, the difference between " issues" and
" receipts" constituting the " churge" for the ensuing
quarter; and the results thus obtained are entered in
two " Expense Books" (No. 316 A, and No. 316 13),
the one for the " Cost of Ships," and the other for
" Yard Services," from which again the annual returns
88 and 89 are compiled.
My Lords can foresee no difficulty, therefore, in fill-
ing up, monthly, the 1 rm of return herewith transmitted;
and they conceive that it will have the double effect of
bringing the whole expenditure of each yard under the
eye of the sup, rintendent, at short and stated intervals,
and of enabling the Board of Admiralty, whenever an
excess appears, to check it by demanding timely expla-
nations. H. G. WARD.

NO. IX.-WAGES.
My Lords find that the exclusive respinsiblity of the
wages paid in the dockyards, amounting to near
800,0001. a year, now rests with the storekeepers of the
dockyards, whose clerks attend the musters, check the
absentees, and prepare the weekly pay list, without any
inquiry being made, either locally or at Somerset House,
into the manner in which these accounts are kept, and
without even the semblance of a subsequent audit.
My Lords can only regard this system Its an anomaly
unprecedented in the public service. In considering the
remedy that might be best applied to it, they fay 1 shit
while it would be desirable to bring the dockyard wages,
like every other item of naval exp,?nditure, under the direct
control of the Accountant Getwral, the inconvenience of
transmitting such a mass of vouchers, weekly, to Som-,rs. t
House. the inquiries that they would give rise to, and he
correspondence to which t hose inquiries would lead, present
insurmountable obstacle.Tlaey prefer, therefore, a local
check, the inquiry being immediate, and, where error is
detected, the remedy alts ays in the hands of the proper
authorities; and they are consequently pleas, d to direct
that in each dockyard an experienced clerk shall be
transferred from the storekeeper's department to the

November— ~ 7.25 11.34 PIO 5•15
H. 0, V TARP.
NO, IV.—MusTEft 17Y I'IcKETS..

INfy Lords are pleased to direct that the Chath am sys-
tem of muster by tickets be adoptod in all the doe, %yards,
from the Ist of April next; and they have desire i pro-
vision to be made in the estimates for erecting ck e ne•
cessary buildings for the ticket tables, the muster • cal'
leries being so placed aa to admit of the ma past, -ng

through thern in Orie continu:Jus liuc, when eat,:r irg or office .t the sup:!rimendent. whet° he ‘v j 1 ,siist in

ciweleing the of eich \welt as s,-ion ai selitt in,
prep,r!•,4 them tor a w,..,1c1y audit by th •
wh:. will pas n ,ant. with , yEng
thaT to costs paid are those really du: , nrl tort
r.o ( t,' iv or gularity has been committed.
At ti.r: arid of cavil (I.,:tit-Or the :,superintentient will
tr..esait at. eaificate to the baard, stating th the ac-
c,)unts for the prcc..ding twelve weeks have been exa-
mined and passed; and the accountant oo deputy Ac-
conntant-Goneral of the Navy is to visit the dockyards
once a year, and to examine the manner in which the
wages account is kept, directing such changes to be made
as may appear to him to be desirable, either in the form
of the account or in the vouchers.
My Lords believe that the uniformity of practice, and
a proper check upon the expenditure in wages, will he
more speedily produced by this mode of proceedieg than
by any regulations that they could lay don at present;
aid they are, consequently, pieased direct that a 1 t-
ter be written to the Treasury, requesing its sanction to
the i,crease of establishment proposed, and recapitu.
lating their reasons for considering it indispen-rible.
11. G. WARD.
NO. X.—RETURNED STORES.
My L :id: are pletted to direct that to' receipt of all
" returned stores" shall he plac d henceforward ntt-r
the responsibility of the store receiver, as-i ted, as in
other cases of receipt, by proper professional offiei-rs, to
b., selected, upon his application. by the waster -,hip•
wrlght. An article chitrging him with this duty is to tie
udd, d to the dock) and instruetions ; and iii this, the
Aortt r, ceiver is to be directed io call the att,lit on of
the Boi:s.rd of Admiralty, Ib,ough the super intendent,
those slips, from which the largest per portion of stores
is lanced in the best state, t.s 'sell a. to those in which
neglect and wastefulness are apparent.

li. G. WARD.
NO. XI -REVISION OF ESTABLISHMENT OF STuIiES

My Lords are pie ised u diri,ct that ihu " e,tablish-
mem" of stores in the dockyard, slit-A be rolls d, anti a
list made out of all such si,r(s us have In obso-
lute, and may in tuture be dispensed with.
11. G. WARD.
NO. XII.—STANDING CONTRACTS.

My Lordsa'so desire that all standing contracts be
opened to public competition, upon due notice, at stated
intervals, not exceeding three or four }ears. Whenever
this is done, the fullest information is to be given to the
contractors as to the average quantities of each article
required annually during the previous contract, my
Lords consiib-ring that the unc,-rtainty of the liability
tends, at present, to enhance the prices.
A Lew rate hook of the -value of star, s is to be pre-
pared for the use of the yards, or the present rate book
is to be revised, and to be corrected annudly, by the aid
of the most recent contracts and of the price current,
which is to be supplied weekly to all the storekeepers.
H. G. WARD.