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

STORES.

My Lords having provided for a more regular " de-
mand " of stores, are desirous to introduce some addi-
tional check upon their 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 may at once
acertain where and with whom the responsibility rests.
My Lords are, therefore, pleased to direct that a
monthly return shall be prepared in the superintend-
ent's office, embracing
all the principal articles of ex-
penditure, 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 " charge" for the ensuing
quarter; and the results thus obtained are entered in
two " Expense Books" (No. 316 A, and No. 316 B),
the one for the " Cost of Ships," and the other for
" Yard Services," from which again the annual returns
$8 and 89 are compiled.
My Lords can foresee no difficulty, therefore, in fill_
,in up, monthly, the form 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 superintendent, at short and stated intervals,
and of enabling the Board of Admiralty, whenever an
excess appears, to check it by demanding timely expla-
nations. 11. G. WARD.

wages paid in thNeO.diox:yawrAds°,Esa.mounting to near
My Lords find that the exclusive responsibility of tho
800,000 L a y oar, now rests with thep storekeepersayulisstt7 without anys, check
the
of the
ab s
edockyards,absentees,
and whose
prepare cl er
the k s attend
weekly
t3h,e musters,
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 as iiananomaly
unprecedented in the public service. In considering the
remedy that might be best applied to it, they feel that
cwohnitlreoiltoNt7t
huel dAbeecdoeusnitraanbt Gleteonnerirani, the inconvenience of
transmitting such a mass of vouchers, weekly, to Somers,t
g .the dockyard wages,
like every other item of naval expenditur?, under the direct
House, the inquiries that they' would give rise to, and the
correspondence to which those inquiries would lead, present
insurmountable obstacles. They prefer, therefore, a local
check, the inquiry being immediate, and, where error is
detected, the remedy always in the hands of the proper
authorities; and they are consequently pleased to direct
that in each dockyard an experienced clerk shall be
transferred from the storekeeper's department to the I

office of tho superintendent, whore he will ossist in

teliticut, pa,s neo ,un-; widlout 6atis.y%llg
himself that the sums paid aro those really due, and that
no error or irregularity has been committed.

At the end eaeh- quarter the superintendent will
transmit a certificate to the board, stating that the ac-
counts for the preceding twelve weeks have been exa-
mined and passed; and the accountant oo deputy Ac-
countant• General 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 be
more speedily produced by this mode of proceeding than
by any regulations that they could lay down at present;
and they are, consequently, pleased to direct that a let-
ter be written to the Treasury, requesting its sanction to
the increase of establishment proposed, and recapitu-
lating their reasons for considering it indispensable.

H. G. WARD.

NO. X.-RETURNED STORES.
My L)rds are pleased to direct that the receipt of all
" returned stores" shall be placed henceforward under
the responsibility of the store receiver, assisted, as in
other cases of receipt, by proper professional officers, to
be selected, upon his application, by the master ship-
wright. An article charging him with this duty is to be
added to the dockyard instructions ; and in this, the
store receiver is to be directed to call the attention of
the Board of Admiralty, through the superintendent, to
those ships, from which the largest proportion of stores
is landed in the best state, as well as to those in which
neglect and wastefulness are apparent.

H. G. WARD.

NO. XI -REVISION OF ESTABLISHMENT OF STORES.

My Lords are pleased to direct that the " establish-
ment" of stores in the dockyards shall be revised, and a
list made out of all such stores as have become obso-
lete, and may in future be dispensed with.
11. G. WARD.