PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
8
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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that "I do not suppose that there is any business firm in the United Kingdom that would have executed the work more promptly and satisfactorily. To this action of the Crown Agents a proportion of whatever success the Expedition meets with will, undoubtedly, be due."
53. We believe that Sir J. Willcocks had a similar good opinion of our services in connection with the supplies for the Ashanti campaign. A specific instance may be of interest. On Monday, the 25th June, 1900, Sir J. Willcocks telegraphed from Prahsu to the Secretary of State for three collapsible boats. The telegram reached the Colonial Office at 6.55 p.m. the same day. The following morning (Tuesday 26th) a copy was unofficially handed to us. The best boats for the purpose known to us were those of the Berthon Boat Company, whose works are at Romsey, in Hampshire, and who do not keep a stock in London. We discovered that a representative of this Company was in London in attendance at an exhibition then proceeding, and inter- viewed him at once, with the result that we were able to telegraph an explicit order to Romsey by 1.45 p.m., directing three boats to be despatched to London by the 5 p.m. passenger train. This order was complied with, and the three boats arrived at Water- loo later in the evening. There they were met by a special cart arranged for by us, and driven to Euston, where they caught a night train to Liverpool. At Liverpool the boats were met by another special cart and taken to the embarkation stage for
pas- sengers whence, by arrangements made by us with Messrs. Elder, Dempster, & Co. they were conveyed in the tender to the S.S. "Sokoto," which left the Mersey for Cape Coast on the following day, Wednesday, the 27th June.
54. As another instance of rapid supply we may quote the Wushishi tramway. On the 20th June, 1901, we received a letter from Sir F. Lugard enclosing a rough estimate for materials and rolling stock for ten miles of light railway, which he stated must be shipped with the utmost expedition so as to arrive before the Kaduna River ceased to be navigable. The length was subsequently altered to twelve miles, and other amendments made, but we were able to report to the Colonial Office on the 2nd July that the whole had been ordered at an estimated cost including delivery at Burutu of £18,268. Shipment commenced on the 9th July, the bulk being despatched on the 22nd July and the 7th August, the whole being practically completed on the latter date. As we have received no complaint we presume that our efforts, most ably seconded by the Consulting Engineers, may be considered to have met with
success.
55. Again, on the 5th October last, we received instructions to supply a stern- wheel steamer to Southern Nigeria at an estimated cost of £10,000. Before the design could be finally settled the question of how best to convey her to the Protectorate had to be determined, after discussion with Sir R. Moor and our Consulting Naval Archi- tect. Notwithstanding this, the specification and terms of contract were prepared and printed, tenders invited (allowing 18 days for contractors to make their designs) and considered, reference made to the Colonial Office as to funds, and the order was given to the contractors on the 16th November.
56. The complaints of delay would not be wholly disposed of without a reference to the time occupied in waiting for mails and shipments.
We infer from many examples that an indenting officer often omits to take count of this consideration, and assumes that the indent when he has prepared it will come on to us at once, and that any supplies we obtain can be similarly forwarded. Similarly the real time occupied by voyage is often under-estimated, a best time being assumed for all occasions.
57. Some time could occasionally be saved by resorting to part shipments, i.e., forwarding what is ready at once without waiting for what is not. This, of course, increases the amount of freight and charges, but in view of the delays caused by some special articles outstanding when the bulk of the order is ready, we propose to make such part shipments more frequently in future.
58. We proceed to deal with the replies in order as printed, and the considera- tions which they suggest.
59. The Governor of Gibraltar states that the business relations with us are quite satisfactory, and that we have always done our utmost to protect the interests and meet the wishes of the Colony. He adds that the length of time which sometimes elapses before the goods are despatched seems open to comment, and he encloses a list comparing the timos occupied by the Crown Agents and by the Junior Army and Navy Stores in supplying articles of a similar character. In each of the three of these cases in which we acted there were, as will be seen from the memorandum of particu- Enclosure lars which we annex, some special circumstances which caused delay, but allowing for this we quite admit that the Stores were quicker in the supply of manufactured goods,
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such as grates and ranges, than we were. The explanation is, firstly, that in such cases we are asked to supply an article of specified size and pattern, and we have one made accordingly; thus we make to the requirements specified, and also get the ad- vantage of the maker's price. On the other hand it appears from the particulars with which, by the courtesy of the Colonial Government we have been supplied, that the articles ordered from the Stores were standard makes, which need not be, and, in fact, were not made to order. Secondly, we obtain beforehand an estimate of the cost, and do not place the order unless it appears reasonable; we gather that this not always done when a Gibraltar order is sent direct. The bare comparison, therefore, of dates without taking into account these differences hardly does ns justice. We have ex- plained above that in such cases we can supply an order without delay if we are authorised to buy from stock.
60. The case of linoleum supplied by us was, it will be seen, so different from the simple and direct order of this one item sent to the Stores that we are rather surprised that Sir G. White has included it, and we cannot think that he had the circumstances, of the case before him at the time.
E,
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61. The Governor of Sierra Leone states that the commercial interests of the Colony are adequately protected by us. He gives a list of eight cases in which delay is complained of. We annex particulars of these, two of which may be noticed here. Enclosure The delivery of the earthenware pipes (No. 3) was greatly retarded by the rejection of a very large proportion of those supplied. But we can hardly agree that such a delay is undue and apparently avoidable." In the last case, that of the waste, the blame for the delay rests entirely with us. This was a case of an indent for both engineering and general stores, and which had, therefore, to be dealt with by two departments ("Works" and "General"). Unfortunately the indent was not passed on by the one to the other department as it should have been. These "joint" cases are a frequent source of difficulty, and we have accordingly recently suggested in a circular of which a copy is enclosed that indents should be arranged so as to correspond Enclosure with our departmental arrangements, so that two departments shall not have to carry out one indent.
A 2.
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62. The Administrator of the Gambia encloses reports which show that the heads of departiments in that Colony had no complaints to make. He, however, himself instances two cases of undue delay (particulars of which we annex). We think that Enclosure as regards the first Sir G. Denton could hardly have had the facts before him, for in F. this case about six weeks are attributable to his omission to return the drawings to us, and a similar period to our having to apply for and await Colonial Office authority for the expenditure. As regards the second (mourning envelopes) it will readily be under- stood that the demands in consequence of the death of the Queen caused extreme pressure on the trade.
63. The Governor of the Bahamas states that he has found us most attentive to the work entrusted to us. He encloses a memorandum by the Surveyor-General, in which the latter states that in many cases the requisitions are attended to with prompti- tude, but gives eleven instances in which he thinks a needless length of time was taken. It will be seen from our memorandum of these cases that the delays mostly Enclosure rested with the contractors. Four of the cases are of lamps supplied by Trinity House, G. and we are not prepared to say that unreasonable times were taken. In some of these cases an undue time was taken by us in working on the order; the worst case is that of No. 4 (14 days). It was a time, however, of exceptional pressure (June, 1900). 64. The experience of the Transvaal Government had not, as Lord Kitchener observes, been sufficient to enable him to form an opinion on the subject. As instances however of the quickness with which we can get work done when the matter is urgent, we may mention that when it was found impossible to print Mr. Barber's translation of the laws of the Transvaal, in South Africa, the work was placed in our hands for speedly execution, and we succeeded in getting proofs of the whole translation repre- senting over 1,300 pages of type within four days, and the proof was despatched to the Colony on the Friday of the week in which the MS. had been delivered to us. may also mention that the large stationery requisition forwarded in Colonial Office letter of the 12th January, 1901, which comprised about 80 separate items and in- volved an expenditure of £800, was completed in less than a fortnight, shipment to South Africa being effected on the 25th January.
We
65. The Administrator of Dominica states that his Government has no ground for complaint against us; that orders might be filled a little more promptly, but that