XN000022-1975-12-25 — Page 2

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1975

+THESE VESSELS, IF SUBSEQUENTLY CONFISCATED AND FOUND TO BE SEA-WORTHY, MAY BE HANDED OVER TO TRAINING ORGANISATIONS OR TO

WELFARE GROUPS WHICH NEED SEA TRANSPORT, HE SAID.

VESSELS WHICH CANNOT BE ECONOMICALLY REPAIRED ARE HANDED TO THE SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT SO THAT ENGINES AND OTHER FITTINGS WHICH ARE STILL OF SOME VALUE CAN BE RETRIEVED.

OTHER THAN CONFISCATED GOODS, THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALSO THE TASK OF DISPOSING UNCLAIMED GOODS, ESPECIALLY UNDELIVERED PARCELS WHICH CANNOT BE RETURNED TO THE SENDERS BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT OR INCORRECT ADDRESS.

THE NUMBER OF THESE ITEMS DEALT WITH IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR WAS 5,804, OR ABOUT HALF THE AMOUNT OF THE 11,608 ITEMS OF CONFISCATED GOODS HANDLED.

THE MAJORITY OF THE UNCLAIMED PARCELS CONTAIN CLOTHING OR FOODSTUFFS, BUT THERE ARE ALSO TOYS, MEDICINES, COMMERCIAL SAMPLES AND BOOKS.

+ INEVITABLY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE SOME TIME SINCE THE UNDELIVERED PARCELS WERE FIRST PACKED. PERISHABLE ITEMS WHICH COULD PRESENT HEALTH HAZARDS ARE IN ALL CASES DESTROYED.

+THE CLOTHING AND TOYS AND SUITABLE BOOKS ARE GIVEN TO CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS, WHILE THE LENGTHS OF CLOTH ARE USED BY HOSPITAL LINEN ROOMS, MR. CHAO SAID.

THERE IS A LIST OF THE CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS AND THEY ARE INVITED BY TURNS TO VISIT THE UNCLAIMED GOODS STORE TO CHOOSE WHATEVER THEY NEED.

ITEMS WHICH ARE OF NO USE TO THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE SOLD BY PUBLIC AUCTION, ABOUT ONCE EVERY FORTNIGHT.

IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT RECOVERED NEARLY $20,500 FROM THE SALE OF THESE PARCELS AND ANOTHER $12,000 FROM OTHER UNCLAIMED GOODS.

+THE GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT IS KNOWN TO MOST PEOPLE AS A SUPPLIER AND BUYER OF MATERIALS FOR ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, + MR. CHAO SAID.

+NOT MANY HOWEVER KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO A SELLER OF GOODS.

+ALTHOUGH THE AMOUNT HANDLED IS COMPARATIVELY SMALL, SELLING, JUST AS BUYING. REQUIRES CAREFUL SUPERVISION AND KNOWLEDGE OF MARKET CONDITIONS IN ORDER THAT THE BEST PRICE CAN BE OBTAINED FOR THE TRANSACTIONS,+ HE ADDED.