236

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 10

78. Accounting officers in whose care keys of safes are placed will be held personally responsible that they are kept in a place to which officers alone have access. Under no circumstances will such keys be entrusted to subordinates.

79. If the keys of safes are lost the officer or other person responsible for the safe custody of same will be charged for replacement or alteration of combination.

II. EXPLOSIVES.

80. Officers in charge of magazines and laboratories will be held responsible that their subordinates are fully conversant with the regulations for magazines, so far as their special duties are affected thereby, and that these regulations are strictly observed.

81. When issuing explosives those of earlier date of manufacture or repair will, unless special orders to the contrary have been given, be issued before others of the same nature; but in the case of time fuzes or time and percussion fuzes issues will, as far as store admits, be made in complete lots from those bearing the same number of thousand or date of repair.

82. Care will be taken to make issues of filled cartridges and small-arm cartridges, as far as possible, from the same make and date of filling or manufacture.

83. Each lot of gunpowder and cordite in bulk or in cartridges will, as far as practicable, be stored separately and issued for the same service, and marks and numbers of lots will be recorded in all receipts and issue vouchers.

84. Issues of small-arm and machine-gun ammunition to be made in complete unopened boxes, that number of boxes being issued whose contents correspond most nearly, either more or less, with the number of rounds demanded. In the case of demands for very small quantities, however, the exact number of rounds will be issued. In making issues due attention will be paid to turnover, and subject to special orders which may from time to time be issued.

85. The fired cases of small-arm ball and blank cartridges supplied gratuitously will be brought on equipment ledger charge by certificate receipt voucher in the following proportions, and returned to the Ordnance Department. The cases will be brought on charge by weight, and not by numbers:

Nature of Ammunition.

Weight to be brought to Account per 1,000 Rounds expended.

Lb.

303 in. ball .. .. .. 20

303 in. blank .. .. .. 10

Pistol, Webley, ball and blank .. .. 9

86. The rates to be charged for any deficiencies of ammunition supplied will be governed by the rates which will be notified in command orders.

87. Cases will be returned to store in the empty ammunition packages once a quarter, and C.O.s will not return a less weight than that representing 1,000 cases, except in the last quarter of the accounting year, when the outstanding balance, whatever it may be, will be sent in. Cases must be in good condition when returned, care being taken that grit and dirt are removed, and that no live cartridges are included in them.

88. Each package will contain a packing-note showing the rank, name, and unit of-

(a.) The person by whom the cartridge-cases were sorted and packed:

(b.) The responsible individual supervising the sorting and packing operations.

If live cartridges are found in any of the packages the matter will be reported to the G.O.C. for such disciplinary action as he considers necessary.

III. HARNESS AND SADDLERY.

89. Harness and saddlery will be kept perfectly dry, and the storehouse well aired. It will at all times be kept cleaned and covered with carbolized paper and canvas, and all ironwork lacquered with varnish for bright work.

90. Part-worn harness and saddlery will invariably be issued before new articles, as the leather parts, when stored after wear, are particularly liable to mildew.

91. Harness and saddlery received at out-stations from Wellington or elsewhere will be cleaned, if necessary, to remove the dirty marks on the leather caused by handling and in transit, or stains from greasy iron or steelwork; this will be done with a damp cloth and a little yellow soap, to restore the colour of the leather.

92. Each article will be cleaned with a cloth and brush to remove dust and dirt before dubbing or tallow is applied. After lightly greasing the articles they will be allowed to stand two or three days to allow the dubbing or tallow to penetrate, after which the residue of grease which will then be found on the surface will be rubbed off, and the leather parts polished with a cloth or brush before stacking.

93. Storing articles with grease on the surface attracts dust and dirt, and causes deterioration.

94. Tallow will be used instead of dubbing on girth-straps attached to saddles and V attachments.

Hides, backs, &c., will be kept in store as shown below:-

Hides {Bellows .. .. ..} All to be kept flat (only to Powder .. .. ..} be rolled for transit). Hose-pipe .. .. ..} Cow, Preller's Brown : light, cloak, shoulders} Powder hides not more than 40 in a stack; light Brown backs : bridle, collar, and cloak, 50 in a stack. heavy .. .. ..} Brown, crop : 40 lb., 26 lb. .. Rolled in parcels of 5. Bullock .. .. ..} Doubled as received. Horse .. .. ..} Rolled as convenient.

Strips, leather, for pipes, trace, to be kept flat, in parcels of about 20.

95. The above will be turned over, when newly received from contractors, every month for three months, and after that period every three months. The lower hides in the stack, when turning, will be placed uppermost for the next three months.

Crop, horse, and bullock hides do not require grease; the remainder will be dubbed triennially, or when the leather appears harsh and dry.

The hide will be brushed and cleaned on both sides before the dubbing is applied.

96. Too much grease on the surface attracts dust and dirt, and it makes the leather objectionable to handle for repairing purposes.

Damp and drought are injurious to leather.

The temperature, when possible, will be kept at about 60° F. The white layer of tallow that appears on the surface of new leather is not injurious, and, provided dirt is not allowed to accumulate on it, may be left on until the next treatment with tallow or dubbing.

IV. INDIARUBBER ARTICLES.

97. Articles which consist entirely or partly of indiarubber, dermatine, or guttapercha, and which are not already issued packed in water, will be stored as follows:-

(i.) Small articles made with indiarubber, such as gauge-glass rings, tubing, or plugs and rings appertaining to A.S.C. harness, will be issued in tins filled with French chalk, and so stored.

(ii.) Any such small articles received into store not packed in French chalk will be at once so packed. If French chalk is not available they will be packed in water.

(iii.) Large articles which cannot be kept in French chalk will be stored in a cool dark place, having, if possible, an equable temperature.

98. A temperature of about 60° F. is that most desirable for the storage of indiarubber goods generally.

99. Stocks of such goods will be kept as low as possible. It is specially important that issues will invariably be made of the oldest material in store.

100. When stored in metal receptacles the indiarubber will be kept from contact with the metal of the receptacle. In no case will vulcanized rubber be stored in copper receptacles.

101. Articles of vulcanized or lightly vulcanized rubber-such as I.R. taps; I.R. bags for limelight apparatus; billiard and bagatelle cushions; bags, guncotton, 25 lb.; troughs and tanks, waterproof-which are liable to lose their pliability after being stored for some time, can generally be rendered supple when required for use by keeping them at a temperature of from 70° to 80° F. for some hours, or by steeping them in warm water.

V. MISCELLANEOUS STORES.

102. Carbolic acid and other disinfecting agents for the preservation of stores (including guncotton) will be supplied on demand by the A.S.C.

103. Naphthalene (an O.D. supply) will be used as a preservative against moth.

Surveying, drawing, telephone, and other delicate instruments are not to be smeared with oil or mineral jelly. These instruments being mainly constructed of gun-metal or brass, and lacquered or otherwise protected, it is only necessary to wipe them over very carefully and gently with a soft slightly oiled rag, finally removing all oil.

104. The Regulations for the Medical Services prescribe the precautions to be made in cases of infectious diseases; but should the officer in charge have reason to suspect that owing to the prevalence of an epidemic, or from other cause, bedding, tentage, or other articles in Ordnance store could possibly have become contaminated, he will, before issuing or disposing of such stores, submit the case for the orders of the superior authority, who may order the articles to be disinfected or burnt. These instructions apply equally to horse-clothing.

105. Tents returned to store after use will not be washed unless absolutely necessary in order to render them fit for reissue. They will be thoroughly dried before being stowed away, so as to prevent the duck becoming mildewed or rotten.

106. The pans of all shovels and spades returned to store after use in camp will be cleaned and greased with mineral jelly before they are stowed away.

107. Camp-kettles on return to store after use are to be thoroughly cleaned by boiling, first in a strong solution of caustic soda (80 per cent.), and then in clean water. When dry they will