CO885-(7-8) — Page 499

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

E.

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cases, be supplied by return steamer almost as easily as they are supplied on the orders of private individuals to their tradesmen. Heads of Departments, however, have to prepare five or six months in advance for all contingencies which can possibly be fore- seen, and if accident happens or from any cause an unexpected demand takes place on any particular article the Public Service suffers, and perhaps avoidable loss is occasioned to the Colony by the delays which occur. The Crown Agents have recently requested that, to save them trouble orders may be sent to them annually, or half yearly, or at most quarterly. The effect of this, if strictly carried out, will be that Public Officers must be assumed to foresee and provide against every possible contin- geney, or to requisition for stores which may prove in practice to be unnecessary, and to accumulate articles which may be of no ust. The possibility of economising is re- duced, and the finances of the Colony suffer by such arrangements, and it is, in fact, cheaper to avoid the over-ordering, and the deterioration of surplus stock, by making small casual purchases locally. As regards the larger orders it would, for the same reasons, be often probably cheaper to pay higher commissions to more prompt and accommodating agents. Even in regard to the large requisitions for such Depart- ments as the Police, the Medical Department, the Post Office, and the Printing Office, in connection with which there is less difficulty, it is experienced that the execution of these requisitions is very often attended by more delays and is the cause of more cor- respondence than in the case of many of the smaller orders. The last of the articles requisitioned for by the Police Department on 29th January, 1900, were not received here until the 29th December, the Medical Stores requisitioned for by the Mail of the 31st of May, 1900, were not fully supplied till the 22nd October, and stationery ordered "by the Mail of the 14th February came in instalments up to the 27th July.

13. With the object of testing to some extent the cost of articles supplied by the Crown Agents, I have had a comparison drawn up of supplies obtained through them. and from Messrs. Mildred, Goyenche, and Company, for the Railway before it passed into the hands of the Government, a copy of which is enclosed for your examination With the exception of paints and oils, which were obtained from the Crown Agents from Makers who may or may not be inferior to Hubbuck and Sons, the cost to this Government of stores for the Railway purchased by the Crown Agents would appear to be greater than was that of similar stores to the Railway Company when a private Firm furnished them.

14. I may point out that the firm in question charged one and a half per cent. commission on all supplies, and gave the Railway the benefit of discounts received, charging nothing extra for making purchases, or for remuneration to Shipping Agents, whilst the Crown Agents in some cases pay two and a half per cent. to five per cent. commission to Messrs. B. and R. Blakemore for making purchases, and remunerate Messrs. Freeland for shipping goods. I beg leave to suggest that as comparisons have been made between the rate of commission charged by the Crown Agents, which they say is barely remunerative, and that of other agencies, regard should be had, and a careful examination made under your directions, as to how much is added to the cost of agency by commissions to Messrs. Blakemore and Freeland and other sub-agents employed.

15. As a method of control, the requirement that all orders shall be sent through the Crown Agents for the Colonies, is valuable to Colonial Governments, but it can hardly be questioned that in some instances it is of no direct advantage but the reverse. For example, books can always be obtained from discount book-seller's as cheaply and, as a rule, more promptly than through the Crown Agents. Where special appara- tus for scientific purposes has to be ordered, the case appears to be the same, but I do not think there is reason in regard to such exceptions to relax what is a useful general rule. In a Colony situate like this, however, I think for the reasons I have set forth above, and in view of our experience of the generally greater delay of supply through the Crown Agents, it will probably be found advantageous rather to increase than to decrease the amount of purchases made from the United States of America for the services of the Government.

I have, &c.,

AUGUSTUS W. L. HEMMING,

Governor.

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Enclosure 1 in No. 21.

"A."

Jamaica-Requisition 95.

SIR,

Downing Street, May 21, 1901. I HAVE the honour to report that as the indent for stores for the Government Printing Office, No. 1/1901/2, of the 23rd February, only reached us from the Colonial Office on the 27th March, and as a large part of the order required to be specially manufactured, we were unable to comply with the request that the goods should be supplied during the first week in April.

2. The following goods have been shipped:-Twine, Printing Ink, Hand-daters, Cotton-waste, Maps, Type (Austin, Wood and Company) and Printing materials (Harrild and Sons).

3. The remainder of the stores are due for delivery as follows:-Stationery (Waterlow and Sons), 23rd June; Paper, 15th June; and the envelopes will be shipped by the "Port Royal" on the 25th May.

4. Messrs. Saunders' report that the Blue Quad. Foolscap, 40 lbs., has been reccived from the Mill 5 reams short, and we have accepted 95 reams in satisfaction of the order. We have also approved of Messrs. Saunders forwarding a surplus of 3/20 reams of Blue Wove Imperial 30 lbs. (Pattern V.) which they have in hand from the last supply, after providing for the ream asked for by the indent.

The Honourable

The Colonial Secretary,

Jamaica.

(No. 4527/5465.)

GENTLEMEN,

I have, &c.,

W. H. MERCER.

Colonial Secretary's Office, June 13, 1901.

I AM directed by the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, No.,

97, of the 21st ultimo, having reference to the order for stores for the Governmenų) Printing Office of the 23rd of February last.

I enclose a copy of a minute from the Superintendent of the Government Printing Office upon this matter, upon which His Excellency would be glad to receive your observations with information as to what part of the order required to be specially

manufactured.

The Crown Agents for the Colonies, Downing Street,

London.

I have, &c.,

SYDNEY OLIVIER, Acting Colonial Secretary.

MINUTE by the Superintendent of the Government Printing Office. HONOURABLE COLONIAL SECRETARY,

THERE seems to have been some delay* in the Colonial Office in forwarding this indent to the Crown Agents, but I beg to point out that from 27th March, on which date the Crown Agents admit receipt of the indent, to 23rd June, on which shipment from Waterlow and Sons is reported to be due is practically three months in which to execute an order which could have been filed by any merchant in London in three weeks, except, perhaps, in the case of a few special articles. The great bulk of these goods is of an ordinary commercial character, and they have been annually ordered year after year at the same period; I think I have some reason to complain of un- necessary delay, and already great inconvenience and some expense have been entailed by this delay.

J. C. FORD.

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June 11, 1901.

*No delay here, it was received on the 23rd February and posted on 28th February, which was the next mail day.

S. O.

8.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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