PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference:~~~
TT།།TIC.O. 885
8
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE -BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
72
2. Mr. Chamberlain understands that this correspondence has been forwarded to you, and he would be glad to know what answer you are returning to Mr. Treacher's letter.
12622
No. 33.
I am, &c.,
H. BERTRAM COX.
BRITISH HONDURAS.
GOVERNOR SIR D. WILSON to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received April 1, 1902.)
(No. 39.) SIR,
Government House, Belize, March 12, 1902. WITH reference to your circular of 1st June, 1901, inviting an expression of opinion as to the manner in which the Crown Agents conduct the business of this Colony, I have pleasure in testifying to the care and accuracy displayed in dealing with the financial business. It is very seldom that any errors occur, and these have never been, so far as I can discover, of any consequence. Generally it may be stated that this branch of the Agency is conducted with ability.
2. I regret that I have not been able to form so favourable an opinion of the manner in which the commercial branch of the business is conducted, and the Public Service of the Colony has not unfrequently been put to considerable inconvenience by what appeared to be inordinate delay in the execution of orders. So well known and persistent is this want of promptitude that when any unforeseen circumstances arise necessitating the procuring of supplies quickly, they have either to be purchased locally or ordered from the United States.
3. The worst case of delay which has been discovered is one which took place in the supply of some books requisitioned for on behalf of the Medical Department in January, 1896. A letter from the Crown Agents, dated 2nd April, was received in this Colony on the 20th, but on arrival of the package the Colonial Surgeon repre- sented that seven of the books had not come. On 1st June following, the Crown Agents were reminded, and on 13th July a reply, dated 25th June, was received enclosing copy of a letter from the Society of Apothecaries showing that they could supply two only" the others being still out of print or new editions not yet published." The order was finally completed in May, 1899, when, under cover of the Crown Agents' letter of 14th April, an invoice was received. On receipt of the package the Colonial Surgeon reported that the preface of two works was dated August, 1896, and as to one of them, his private copy of the same edition, ordered four months after the requisi- tion for the official copy was sent in, reached him on 2nd November, 1896. It is clear, therefore, that these books should have been received in November, 1896, had the Crown Agents conducted their business as promptly as the private firm dealt with by Dr. Eyles, but they did not reach this Colony until May, 1899. At that date the money which had been voted in 1896 had, of course, lapsed, and no new provision had been made in 1899.
4. On 22nd December, 1896, an indent for Constabulary Clothing and Supplies was forwarded to the Crown Agents with the intimation that the articles were required at an early date, and a request that they might be sent out as soon as possible. On 8th March, 1897, a letter, dated 13th February, was received covering invoices for a portion of the articles, and on 29th March, 17th April, 3rd May, 5th July, 2nd August, and 8th September following further invoices were received. The Colonial Secretary had written on 30th July reporting that much inconvenience was being caused by the delay, and asking that some serious notice should be taken of it, to which a reply was received on 20th December, 1897 (dated 1st) from the Crown Agents saying that as the explanations given by the contractors were not wholly satisfactory, they had en- forced a deduction of £9 3s. 5d. In the indent six machetes had been included at an estimated cost of 45. each. Swords or cutlasses were supplied instead, costing 13s. 6d. each, and as a consequence orders were issued to purchase machetes locally in future. Of course, during the year the Inspector-Commandant was compelled to purchase locally certain of the items requisitioned for, so that there was a double supply, and the vote for the service was exceeded.
73
5. The custom is now to indent only for the material, boots, &c., and have the clothing made up here; for example: in 1900 the indent for supplies for the Police was sent on 18th January. Invoices were received here on 2nd April, 23rd April, 18th June, and 23rd July, and it was possible for the Superintendent of Police to issue the new clothing during the year. Generally speaking this instance may be regarded as the normal rate of despatch observed in filling indents for ordinary supplies, namely from two or three to six months, and it is only when extraordinary delay takes place that any complaint is made.
6. Two other instances may be mentioned as indicating matters which have formed the subject of complaint of a different description. On the 27th February, 1897, an indent for three wrought-iron Trinity pattern buoys was sent to the Crown Agents, but under cover of their letter of 16th July, invoices for wrought-steel buoys were received, which, after certain correspondence, were kept in the Colony. The iron buoys had been ordered because one made of steel, which had been previously imported, corroded within twelve months. As this Government had been charged £3 10s. 11d., being 4 per cent. on the cost of the buoys, for inspection, such a mistake should have been impossible. On 4th October, 1901, an indent was sent to the CrownTM Agents for galvanized fencing material for the August Pine Ridge Block House, a remote place on the Mexican frontier, where it is important that the material used should be damp resisting and should not require frequent painting. On the arrival of the fencing in January last it was found to be varnished, not galvanized.
7. For the sake of brevity, and because it seems to me preferable to tell the Crown Agents where the shoe pinches in order that a remedy may be devised, rather than to pile up instances of inconvenience suffered, I refrain from quoting any other
cases.
8. It will be evident to you, Sir, that Public Officers are, in consequence of these delays, heavily handicapped in the performance of their duties, and on account of having to indent so long a time ahead are precluded sometimes from effecting economies, as they must send for whatever they deem it possible they may require instead of waiting to see what the actual course of events necessitates. Supplies which are indented for as soon as possible after the Estimates for the year have been voted, are actually received in many cases during the second half of the year, and new indents for the succeeding year have to be made up shortly afterwards. If it be possible by better organization to secure a more prompt service, the Colonial Govern- ment would be greatly benefited and British trade somewhat augmented, Merchants and private persons who order goods from England do not experience the same diffi- culty as the Government does, and this circumstance makes me hope that the enquiries you have set on foot will result in much improvement.
9. If I may be permitted to suggest how the Crown Agents might be of great use to the Colonies, I would say that as there are very many articles required for similar purposes in all the tropical Colonies, an effort might be made to establish uniformity of pattern, design, or sample, and to enter into contracts with reliable firms to supply all the Colonies with the goods of that description which may be required, reserving the power of inflicting penalties or cancelling the contract in the case of bad service. An approximate estimate of quantities might be made before tenders are invited, in order that the firms may know the probable requirements, and make arrangements to fill orders with promptitude. Police .clothing, stationery, drugs, medical comforts, stimulants, blankets, bedsteads, cement, &c., are articles which it would appear possible to deal with in this manner, and if considered desirable the Colonial Governments could make out their indents in duplicate, forwarding one copy to the Crown Agents and another to the firm by the same mail, so as to avoid delay.
10. I would also suggest that the Crown Agents might be moved to keep an eye on improvements in manufactures, so as to advise the Colonies, and perhaps send them price lists and patterns, whenever it appears to the Crown Agents that a cheaper, better, or more suitable article is being manufactured than that which the Colonies, or any of them, indent for. In the absence of such information, a Colonial Govern- ment finds it difficult to take advantage of improved methods for want of detailed information, and the advice and recommendation of a responsible Agent.
I have, &c.,
D. WILSON,
Governor.
43
9922