Surplus Stores Post-War
The Government's White Paper on the disposal of surplus stores after the war shows that some useful thinking has been done on the subject. After the last war disposal of stores was looked at solely from what might be termed the standpoint of the Treasury —i.e., with a view to realising them as profitably as possible ; an important element in profitability being quick sales, which cut down storage charges. In this way an immense quantity of varied goods was dumped on the market, with little or no regard to the consequent disorganisation of trade and industry, and with no safeguard against gross profiteering. The White Paper indicates some general lines along which these dangers may be diminished. Goods are to be released at a rate which avoids crippling production by flooding the market ; and they are to be distributed as a rule through the traders or manufacturers who would normally handle them, so as to reach consumers all over the country in a normal way. Above all, they will be brought into relation with the systems of control designed to equalise distribution and prevent profiteering, both here and abroad. These are sound principles ; let us hope they will be developed and acted upon. Some considerable difficulties have to be surmounted. Under the old system (or lack of system) we had at least an automatic safeguard agatrist serious corruption in the practice of selling by unrestricted competitive tender to the highest bidder. The new systems will often involve doing without this.
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