19th December 2007, 12:00 AM
Quote:quote: It has been pointed out to me about a post on Britache ... where N. Swift looked with Daily Mail outrage at £24 per find for the PAS - and suggested that this was bad value for money... ... I am intrigued to know how much 'good' value for money is...
To know if it is good or bad... one must have a comparator... I notice that when challanged, he went on to suggest that 12 quid a find was even better.... (how very Thatcherite!) Taking into consideration, the recording, research, data input, office costs, wages, materials, travel, photography etc etc... it comes out at circa 1-1.5 hours per find... so not too bad... or am I wrong.... in the commercial world... where budgets are by neccesity tight... is £24 an artefact from finder to published good or bad? HELLLLLLLLLLLLP.
I feel there are areas that can be tightened in the PAS... but surely you make these adjustments after you look into them.... not before ( Good ol' Thatcherism again!)
David, with respect I think it is highkly misleading to become cuaght up in the anti PAS claims of what it cost to find ratio 'is'.
The figures they throw about are rubbish, recording 'artefact hunters' finds is just a small part of what the PAS are about.
If anyone is going to realistically look at the cost price of the PAS's products, you first have to identify each and every product and bring it into the equation.
Or are the antis suggesting the the PAS only offer one product and one service?
If so this this is seriously misleading, possibly intetionally so.
Recording finds is just one of the services that the PAS provide.
What about policing the internet for potential treasure... cost per session doing this or do we work on a cost per treasure Item found?
Outreacing to the non metal detecting public, should we cost per visit or per hour? as stated on Britarch, in 2006 alone the PAS were involved in 776 outreach events.
Developing eductional resources for children, what do think the costing would be on that?
Developing the Roman Coin identification guide, my thats surely got to have cost a few bob.
These are just a few examples of the end products of the PAS..
So what are we looking at in terms on cost per find recorded... probably pence!!!
In real terms... reality, realistic terms... the PAS has actually made massive achievements whilst being severely under funded, streamlined... they have been for the last 10 years!
http://www.detector-distribution.co.uk
If a job is worth doing, then its worth doing it tomorrow!
Homer (Simpson)