Aug. 10.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2623

correspond with any alteration in the room inventories and records,
and will produce it to the officer in charge of barracks at his in-
spections, who will see that it is correctly kept up.

79. Articles will, as a rule, be entered in as well as in
    the ledgers, under their component parts, and not as “complete”;
    but in the room inventories and the office record they may be
    inserted as “complete” for convenience.

80. The officer in charge of barracks will make an inspection
    of stores in possession of the permanent troops in barracks, mili-
    tary detention-room, guard-rooms, latrines, and cookhouses once a
    month; inventories will be compared as laid down, and any articles
    found in possession in excess of schedule will be forthwith with-
    drawn, and an explanation of the circumstances under which the
    issue was made called for.

Charges for Loss, &c.

81. Immediately after all inspections of stores in the possession
    of troops, charges will be made out by each accountant on form
    M. 19 for any stores lost or damaged. These charges will be regu-
    lated by the prices laid down in the priced vocabulary of stores,
    subject to the provisions of para. 82.

82. When charges are made for articles so damaged as to be
    rendered unfit for further use by the troops, every reasonable and
    just allowance will be made for fair wear-and-tear. (Charges for
    articles lost or damaged (culpably or through contributory neglect)
    will be assessed as follows:—

(a.) Repairable damage: Actual cost of repair, including
both cost of wages and materials or components.

(b.) Loss or damage beyond repair: The amount to be charged
will be assessed locally by the officer in charge of barracks
from the best evidence available as to the condition of
the article at the time of the loss or damage; but the
amount chargeable must not be less than one-fourth
of the new value of the article, unless it is established
by evidence that the actual value (which will then be
charged) is less.

Whenever less than the full value is so charged, the article, if
forthcoming, will be taken into store and condemned at the next
survey, instead of being at once destroyed as when full value is
charged under para. 93. In such cases a ticket will be attached
to the articles showing the amount of the charge and giving a
reference to the voucher on which it was made.

83. For deficient or damaged articles of obsolete pattern,
    superseded in the service by less-expensive articles, the charge will
    be based on the price of the current service pattern. When the
    current service article is more expensive the charge will be based on
    the price of the obsolete article deficient, whether a new pattern
    article is to be issued instead or not, and will be supported by a
    certificate from the officer in charge of barracks giving the nature,
    description, and price of the obsolete article deficient.

84. The charges against each unit, &c., will be notified by the
    officer in charge of barracks on separate form (in duplicate) to the
    O.C., who will acknowledge its receipt, and at once take the neces-
    sary steps for the settlement of same with the paymaster, the
    duplicate accompanying the remittance. In forwarding vouchers
    to paymasters for recovery of amounts due, an abstract (form 19A)
    of the total charges will be attached to vouchers. This settlement
    must be effected within seven days of date of certificate of officer
    in charge of barracks at foot of form, and if not paid within seven
    days an explanation must be called for.

85. On receipt of written notice of appeal against any damage
    assessed the officer in charge of barracks will forward the same,
    with his observations thereon, for the information of the G.O.C.
    (see para. 94).

86. Should any deficient article for which a charge has been
    made be subsequently recovered, a refund of the money will be
    made if authorized by the G.O.C. The refund should be supported
    by a reference to the cash credit and to the voucher and account
    by which the returned article has been brought on store charge.

87. Only such parts of mops as are actually deficient will be
    charged to the troops. A mop-head will be struck off charge when
    a mop-nail is charged for, as thrums are not to be stored. All
    nails and leathers of mops brought for exchange will be kept and
    brought forward at surveys for condemnation.

88. Damages to stores committed by lunatics or patients tempo-
    rarily insane (except in case of men suffering from delirium tremens)
    will not be charged against the troops. In the event of articles
    being lost, burnt, or so damaged by lunatics as not to be repairable,
    such articles will not be struck off charge unless a certificate be
    given by the medical officer in charge that no blame is attributable
    to a hospital attendant. A certificate stating in what way the
    damaged articles have been disposed of will be annexed to the
    voucher striking the articles off charge.

89. The full cost of making good all breakages to chaffcutting-
    machines will be charged against the troops unless the breakage is
    clearly shown to be due to accident or other circumstances beyond
    the control of the corps using the machine.

90. One-third of the value of the lamp-globes or of the chimneys
    broken when in use by the troops will be allowed as a charge against
    the public, unless the breakage be the result of wilful damage, when
    the full cost will be charged against the troops.

91. The value of chipped or cracked articles will not be charged
    against officers or soldiers, nor will such articles be exchanged
    unless they are either unserviceable, dangerous in use, or, in the
    opinion of the officer in charge of barracks, unsightly by reason of
    their depreciated condition.

Chipped or cracked articles regarded by the officer in charge of
barracks as still serviceable, in the sense of the foregoing, may be
taken into store and reissued without the individuals to whom they
are supplied having the option to reject them.

92. Breakages of or damage to crockery and glassware in offices,
    hospitals, quarters of members of Military Nursing Service, mili-
    tary detention-barracks, furnished under the hospital and barrack
    schedules, when shown to have been caused by accident, will be
    charged against the public on a certificate obtained from the officer
    in charge showing that the injury has not been caused either wil-
    fully or through the neglect of reasonable precautions.

93. All articles charged at full value against the troops in con-
    sequence of having been so injured as to render them unfit for
    further service will be at once effectively destroyed in the presence
    of an officer, so as to prevent their being again brought into use,
    or being afterwards produced for condemnation as articles worn
    out by fair wear.

94. When notice of objection and appeal on the part of the
    troops against an assessment has been given, the articles will not be
    destroyed or repaired until such objection or appeal has been
    inquired into and decided upon as provided for in King’s Regula-
    tions. (See para. 85 hereof.)

95. When articles are sent to the barrack stores for exchange it
    will be the duty of the accountant to call the attention of the troops
    to any article which he considers does not require to be exchanged,
    or which, where no assessment has been made by the inspecting
    officer, should be charged as a damage; in the former case the
    articles will be returned to the troops for further use. These
    exchanges may be made by the accountant, but in case of any
    disagreement reference will be made to the officer in charge of
    barracks.

Marching-out Inspections.

96. The regulations for conducting marching-out inspections
    will be found in the King’s Regulations, paras. 998 and 1003.

97. The reports of charges at marching-out inspections will be
    made out in triplicate (form M. 19) for each corps separately: one
    copy will be sent to the O.C., who will acknowledge the receipt;
    the abstract (form M. 19A) and the other two to the paymaster.

98. The officer in charge of barracks will certify on all reports of
    charges at marching-out inspections that the items have been com-
    pared with the note-book (book G. 53) signed by the regimental
    officer present at the inspection.

99. When no officer is left behind to give over charge, the officer
    in charge of barracks will himself make a careful inspection, and
    will deal with the inspection reports as laid down in para. 97. A
    statement of the circumstances should be attached to the copy for-
    warded to the C.O., and a duplicate of the statement should be
    attached to the store-issue voucher.

Fire-engines.

(See also Instructions, “Precautions against Fire,” in King’s
Regulations.)

100. Fire-engines, standpipes for hydrants, hose-reels and their
     appurtenances for barracks and hospitals will be demanded from
     the Director of Camp and Barrack Construction by the officer in
     charge of barracks.

101. In barracks, hospitals, or premises in charge of departments
     to which engines are allotted, they will be held on inventory by the
     troops or the department in occupation, who will exercise them once
     a month, care being taken to use fresh water for this purpose.

102. After an engine has been used the hose will be hung up by
     the middle to dry and to allow the water to be run out at both sides.

103. The attention of the O.C. should be drawn to any case in
     which the fire-engine or its appurtenances appear to have been
     neglected by the troops. In order to preserve the flexibility of the
     hose and to keep the engine clean, the articles laid down in the bar-
     rack schedules will be supplied to the troops on indent.

104. When barracks remain unoccupied and a fatigue party
     cannot be obtained the officer in charge of barracks will apply for
     permission to hire men to exercise the engine once in every six
     months. In unoccupied barracks it will be the duty of the sub-
     ordinate in charge to keep the engines and appurtenances clean.
     Leather hose should be rubbed at least six times a year.

105. When an engine is found to be out of repair, notice thereof
     will at once be given to the officer in charge of barracks, who will
     make an indent on the D.E.O.S. for the completion of the service.

106. Should the troops be employed under the orders of the
     O.C. in extinguishing conflagrations in the neighbourhood of barracks,
     an endeavour should be made to recover from the insurance com-
     pany or other persons interested the value of any damage to, or loss
     of, public or personal property occasioned thereby. If no claim
     is admitted the matter should be dealt with as a loss under the
     King’s Regulations, or reported to the G.O.C. if necessary.