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in 1923. As from the 1st of January, 1936, the purchase
of stores has been centralized, the Public Works Department
having been made responsible for the purchase of stores for all departments; and the building of a Central Store
has been commenced.
4. The system of central purchasing has proved successful in practice but I consider that further advantage
would be gained by the entire removal of the stores work
from the Public Works Department. At present the officer primarily responsible for the stores work is the Superintendent
of Accounts and Stores but he remains under the control of
the Director of Public Works and has not always the
authority necessary to control demands of other departments
or of engineers within the Public Works Department itself.
The present arrangement results on the one hand in the
Director of Public Works being placed in a dual position
as head of the principal spending department and head also
of the department controlling the issue of stores, and on the
other hand in his being given extra work since the
Superintendent of Accounts and Stores naturally has to turn
to him for support in any dispute with hea's of other
departments.
5. I am satisfied that the purchase of stores,
particularly local supplies, is a matter in which there is
room for considerable economy provided that it is under the
control of a competent officer engaged full time on that
work, and of sufficient status. The recent enquiry of the
Prison Comission has indicated that there is room for
considerable economy in the purchase of food for the Prison
and this is probably also true of the hospitals; but the
economy can only be secured by the constant supervision of an
officer in close touch with local conditions.