VPRS 12582 Minutes, Railway Stores Board

Full description

This series consists of minutes of the Victorian Railways Stores Board's meetings. The first preliminary meeting of the Stores Board was held 15 January 1897. Regulation No. 35 of the Victorian Railways, which was confirmed by the Commissioner 23 February 1897, established the responsibilities of the Board. The Regulation stated that: 'The ordering, purchase, custody, issue and disposal of all stores shall be under the control of a Stores Board'. The Board consisted of the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Engineer for Existing Lines, Traffic Manager, Accountant and Telegraphic Superintendent. The Regulation also stipulated that minutes be kept and submitted to the Commissioner. Meetings were held fortnightly and signed by the Chairman of the committee and the Railway Storekeeper.

The head of the Stores Branch was the Railway Storekeeper, whose chief duty was to make a continuous inspection of stores, examine and compare stocks, and see that all stores books and returns at depots were correctly kept and in order. A major function of the Stores Board was that of evaluating stores tenders for the approval of the Commissioner.