Part 22 (1/2)
VII. _An improved Mode of keeping Accounts._
VIII. _An annual Inventory of Stores on hand._
IV. OLD STORES.
The mode at present practised in disposing of unserviceable Naval and Victualing Stores by Auction, in the Public a.r.s.enals and Repositories, is productive of infinite evils, independent of the cover which is thereby afforded to many purchasers, of loose conduct, in protecting them, by means of the certificates they obtain against the penalties of the Law, as Receivers of stolen and embezzled goods of the same species and quality; thereby not only defeating the ends of Public Justice, but operating as an encouragement to these criminal dealers to extend the iniquitous part of their trade, by holding out facilities and incitements to those who have access to commit depredations on the Public Property, which possibly would never have otherwise taken place.
The Public Sales at the Dock-yards and other Repositories, draw together men of loose and depraved morals; who, in order to obtain bargains, do not hesitate (wherever it can be done) to seduce, by means of pecuniary gratuities, the inferior officers and labourers into the evil practice of mixing superior stores with unserviceable articles, ordered to be made up in lots, so as to elude discovery. New and valuable cordage has been detected coiled within old cables,[75]
while frauds also are practised as to the weight, and in the delivery of greater quant.i.ties than are actually sold.--Such practices have taken place in spite of the vigilance and attention of the superior officers, by which a two-fold mischief arises,--in the immediate loss which is sustained by the frauds thus practised, and in the cover which is thus afforded for the protection of additional stores purchased clandestinely; perhaps from the persons who have been thus corrupted.--An evil so prominent, in the view of a very able and penetrating Judge now upon the bench, as to induce him to declare publicly in Court, immediately after a trial, where a notorious offender (as many notorious offenders do) escaped Justice, under the cover of his certificates: ”That _Government had better burn their old Stores than suffer them to be the means of generating so many offences_”--or to the same effect.
[Footnote 75: An instance of this kind occurred about two years ago in one of the princ.i.p.al yards, where a large quant.i.ty of new and valuable Cordage was found concealed within the coils of a large unserviceable Cable; which composed one of the lots in the Catalogue of the Sale.--And thus a connection was discovered between the Criminal Purchaser and the Labourers employed in making up the Lots.]
It is however humbly presumed that a remedy may be applied without the destruction of such valuable materials; and the following suggestions are offered with a view to this object.
_Plan for an improved mode of disposing of unserviceable Naval and Victualing Stores._
1st. That instead of selling those stores upon the spot where the criminal connections are formed, the Naval articles shall be made up in a.s.sorted lots suitable to the _London, Bristol, Liverpool, Whitehaven, Glasgow, Newcastle, and Hull_ Markets. That a responsible Agent should be appointed to conduct the sales at each of these _Ports_.--That they shall be men of the first respectability in the commercial line, who can give ample security for their fidelity in the execution of the trust reposed in them.--That they shall receive the stores at the yards or repositories where they are made up, and convey them to their respective Warehouses at their own expence: on having an allowance of _6 per Cent. for Freight-charges, Warehouse-rent, Insurance_ against _Sea-risk and Fire_, and all other expences; _and 4 per Cent. for commission on the amount of the Sales_.
That the said stores shall not on any pretence be sold to dealers, but only to the _actual consumers_, or Rope Spinners to convert into small cordage; _nor shall any certificate be granted to purchasers on any pretence whatsoever_.
That accounts of sales shall be furnished monthly, and such sales shall be accompanied by _a full remittance for the amount_, it being always understood that no credit is to be allowed.
That at the end of each year, an inventory shall be transmitted on a specific day to be fixed, of the whole stores on hand, and a general account current shall be then furnished; in which shall be exhibited, agreeable to a form to be prescribed, a complete view of the whole transactions which have occurred during the preceding year, with a full remittance for the balance due on the said account.
2d. That the _Metalic Stores_ which are deemed unserviceable shall be deposited in a commodious Magazine in London, under the charge of a responsible Agent, competent to such a trust.--That it shall be his duty to employ proper Artificers to convert all that are capable of being converted into serviceable Stores, and when so renovated, to be returned to Deptford Yard.--And such Metalic Stores as are incapable of being converted into useful purposes at a moderate expence, so as clearly to demonstrate a saving to Government, shall be disposed of to founders and others, at the best price that can be obtained.
The Agent for Metalic Stores to be allowed 10 per Cent. on the value as ascertained, by the original Invoice, founded on a survey and valuation upon oath, and this to be in full of _Freight, Carriage, Warehouse-rent, Insurance from fire, and all other expences, including Commission for his trouble_, on all Stores that are again converted to useful purposes; and 7-1/2 per cent. on the value of such as are sold, in consequence of their being incapable of being rendered useful; so as to make it the interest of the Agent to render as large a portion useful as possible.
It is presumed that by an arrangement of this kind, an immense sum will be saved to the Public annually; who would retain the Contractor's profit in all cases where Old Stores are received back at the price of old Metal, and again returned at the full contract price, after a small expence is incurred in converting them into serviceable Stores.
3d. That in consequence of the superior resource for the consumption of _Provisions, Casks_, &c. in London, the whole of the unserviceable Victualing Stores (except such as from their small value and bulky nature will not defray the expences of conveyance) shall be collected in a large repository in London, under the charge of an able and intelligent Agent, who shall give proper security for his faithful management; and conduct the sales upon the principles already explained _for ready money only_, rendering an account _and making his payments monthly_, and a final Account and Inventory at the end of the year; to be at the whole expence of removing the goods from the different Repositories to the Magazine in London; to be allowed 4 per Cent. Commission on the sales, and 6 per Cent.
in lieu of all charges.
4th. That the attention of the respective Boards may not be diverted from other objects by attending to the details, which will arise in the management of those establishments, a superintending Agent shall be appointed, who shall receive the directions of the different Boards, and correspond with the local Agents.--He shall moreover be the _Receiver General of the monthly remittances_, and shall immediately pay the same as directed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.--It will be his duty to arrange the s.h.i.+pping of Old Stores from the different Yards, in conformity to the wants or demands of the respective Agents, so as to keep up their several a.s.sortments, by conveying to each not only such articles, (as far as it can be done) as are most in demand, but also such as comparatively fetch the best price.--He shall receive the monthly and yearly accounts, and lay an abstract of the same before the Lords of the Admiralty, and the Navy and Victualing Board respectively, as they apply to their different departments, and shall be the general medium of communication from the respective Boards to the local Agents.--The superintending Agent shall transmit a regular invoice to the local Agents of all goods s.h.i.+pped:--Shall keep regular books and accounts of all transactions under his charge, and shall receive for his trouble _1 per cent._ on the Remittances or Payments which he may make, under the directions of the Lords of the Admiralty.
By this arrangement it will be the interest of all the parties concerned, to render the sale as productive as possible; and as the stores in question will constantly be exposed to sale, where the demand for such articles is most extensive, the probability is, that higher prices will be obtained than at present; and that upon the whole, after paying all expences, a larger aggregate sum will be received annually by Government, since, as the sales are only to be made to the actual Containers, the Dealer's profit will make a part of the Sale Price, and will be thereby secured to the Public. As men of the first character and respectability may be expected to solicit for such Commissions, no doubt can be entertained, either of the purity of their conduct, or their exertions to sell to the best advantage. Their credit and interest, and also the emulation between one Agent and another, as to who shall make the best sales, will prove a powerful stimulus and a strong ground of security.--Above all, the plan is easy and practicable:--It imposes no trouble upon the superior or inferior officers in the different Naval Departments, and no doubt can be entertained, that while it shuts up all the avenues to fraud and peculation, which at present operate so powerfully in facilitating the stealing and embezzling of Naval and Victualing Stores, in the result it will prove highly beneficial to Government.
V. THE PERQUISITE OF CHIPS.
The extensive evils arising from the permission granted to Artificers in the Dock-yards, to convert chips to their own use, and to remove them in bundles from the Dock-yards, having already been noticed, it may only be necessary to add, that on the abolition of this perquisite, which the Author has reason to believe is now in contemplation, a liberal increase of wages should be made to the Artificers in lieu thereof; and that hereafter Chips should not be sold in the Yards by Public Auction, but removed to a place of deposit at some small distance, and disposed of, not to the highest bidder, but at such price as should be offered above the estimated value, and by no means by contract.
By adopting this mode, the saving of _useful Timber, Time, and Property_, which, through the medium of the existing practice, is _purloined, lost and stolen_, would probably exceed any estimate that has been formed from a view of the present abuses.
This measure, while it forms an important Link in the preventive Chain, would appear to be easy and practicable.