1956-1957 — Page 18

A comparative statement of purchases for the year 1955/56 and 1956/57 is given below:

Coal

Furnace Oil

Light Fuel Diesel Oil

Lubricating Oil

Petrol

From Government Stores

From other Government

1955/56.

1956/57.

$ 206,518.55 $ 49,500.00

246,144.07

111.622.83

69,480.00

186,391.64

26,028.33

24,166.16

2,602.00

2,627.00

179,716.76

107,262.16

263.45

11.00

By local purchase

235,594.68

181,738.48

From Crown Agents

3,854,366.32

1,115,042.13

From Australia

1,846,244.54

From Japan

12.394.44

$4,820,714.16

$3,637,000.38

Departments

69. Coal. The local purchase of coal continued to decrease and the total quantity of coal purchased during the year was 450 tons, a decrease of 1,541.5 tons. The contract price of coal was $110.00 per long ton delivered to Railway bunkers.

70. Light Fuel Diesel Oil. There was an abnormal increase in the cost of diesel oil, due to the Suez Canal crisis. This oil which cost $228.00 per ton at the beginning of the financial year has risen to $267.00 per ton and the consumption for the year was 765.06 tons.

71. Furnace Oil. The cost of furnace oil also increased from $139.00 to $177.00 per ton during the year. Purchases for the year were 751.544 tons with a decrease of 1,117.196 tons compared with the previous year.

The decrease in consumption of coal and furnace oil is shown in Appendices XI and XII.

72. Local Purchase and Government Stores. No major works were undertaken by the mechanical workshop and as a result local purchase of stores and stores obtained from Govern- ment Stores and other Government Departments decreased by $53,856.20 and $72,707.05 respectively compared with the previous year.

73. Indents. During 1956/57 a total of 54 indents was for- warded to the Crown Agents through the Government Stores Department for materials at an estimated cost of £7,200.

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