CORRESPONDENCE MOVED FOR. (Hansard, 23 July 1857)

COLONEL NORTH
said, he rose to move for a Copy of any Correspondence which had taken place between the War Department and Mr. Huthnance, relative to his apparatus for a Drying Room to be attached to a Laundry; and Copies of any Reports which had been made on this subject by any officers to whom the question had been referred. The subject was one which deeply concerned the comfort of our troops; for notwithstanding the enormous sums of money which had been voted of late for the army, that on which the soldier's comfort and even his health so greatly depended, namely, the making proper arrangements for the washing and drying of his linen, had been entirely neglected. In the camp at Aldershot there was but one hut with five or six boilers appropriated to each regiment for 286 the purposes of washing. There was no allowance for fuel to the soldiers' wives, and they were obliged either to collect heather or to buy coals at 16d. per cwt., which had to be carried a considerable distance. It should be recollected that a soldier's wife was the wife of a person who received the enormous sum of a shilling a day for his services. As regarded drying here was a portion of the barrack ground set apart for drying out of doors; but he was told that in winter or when there had been four or five wet days consecutively, the linen had to be kept in a wet state during the whole period. Ironing could only be performed on the top of a small stove, with an area of about two feet square. He had for a long time felt anxious to improve these things, and consequently he two or three years since, brought under the attention of Parliament, the invention of Mr. Huthnance, the master of Chipping Norton Union, for washing and drying purposes, one merit of which was, that it could be erected at a small expense, and produced great economy in the use of fuel. In May, 1855, he (Colonel North) went to the War Department, and afterwards the Inspecting Engineer at Birmingham was ordered to go to Chipping Norton to inspect the apparatus at work. That gentleman made a favourable report, and since that period Mr. Huthnance proceeded to Aldershot to enter into an explanation of his invention; but though last winter and the previous one was very severe, nothing had as yet been done, and in reply to a letter which he sent to the War Office last month, he received a letter from Lord Panmure, dated the 6th of July, declining to give the invention a trial. Two years ago it was introduced into the Workhouse of Banbury, where he (Colonel North) was Chairman of the Board of Guardians, where it had worked satisfactorily, and he believed the Poor Law Board had recommended its general adoption in poorhouses. Under these circumstances, he thought Her Majesty's soldiers were entitled to the benefit of a fair trial for the invention, especially as Mr. Huthnance had offered to supply the apparatus for that purpose at his own expense if the Government would simply provide a suitable building. He did not wish to impute the least blame to his hon. Friend (Sir J. Ramsden), who had undertaken his onerous duties at a moment's notice, and had performed them in a manner most satis- 287 factory to all who had had the pleasure of conducting business with him.

§ SIR JOHN RAMSDEN
said, the apparatus to which his hon. and gallant Friend referred was one of a great number of inventions that had recently been submitted to the War Department, and which had been referred to competent officers to report upon. He would candidly admit that the invention deserved all the praises which his hon. Friend had bestowed upon it, but there were other considerations to be kept in view beyond the mere ingenuity of the apparatus. The gallant Officer had referred especially to what he considered to be the unsatisfactory state of the washing department at the camp of Aldershot, and urged the adaptability of this invention to the requirements of the camp. It was not usual in the army to allow fuel for washing purposes—those who were paid for doing the soldiers' washing were expected to find their own fuel. But the chief reason why it was not desirable to adopt the apparatus at Aldershot was, that the camp there was formed as a camp of instruction, the object being to teach the soldier how to dispense with the ordinary appliances of civilization. He thought, therefore, his hon. and gallant Friend would acknowledge the wisdom of dispensing with an apparatus which, though a great convenience to the soldiers' wives at Aldershot, would, in proportion to its use there, cause the greater inconvenience to the army when in the field from the want of it. He could assure his hon. Friend the subject had been most carefully considered, and though the authorities had culogised the ingenuity displayed in the invention, they had advised against its adoption upon other grounds.

§ MR. STAFFORD
said, the hon. Baronet would have given a complete answer to his hon. and gallant Friend if he had only been able to go a little further, and could assure the House that the Government had ascertained the means of insuring the soldiers against catching cold in any climate from the use of damp clothes. But, then, why were these machines to be allowed for 288 the use of the paupers in workhouses, for the use of soldiers in some barracks not far from that House, and to be denied to those living in the camp at Aldershot? If it was to be understood that in this model Aldershot, the bill for which appeared to be interminable, none of the appliances of modern ingenuity were to be adopted, because, when the troops took the field, it would be impossible to continue their use, he must say, much of their money had been spent in vain. Would any one, however, pretend that the six enormous boilers which had been erected for washing purposes at Aldershot could be taken into the field with the troops? This was not the first time he had had to appeal against the "hyper-toryism" of the War Department, which seemed to be proof against all reform, to a higher authority, who had never been found hostile to anything which might promote the soldiers' comfort. At no time was the health of the common soldier more precious to the country than at the present moment; and therefore he might fairly appeal to the noble Lord at the head of the Government, in the midst of his multifarious operations to bestow a few minutes of his time upon the examination of this drying-machine. [A laugh.] Yes, they might laugh; let them, however, do so good-humouredly, for it could not be beneath the attention of the Prime Minister of England to consider a matter which affected the health and comfort of thousands of our soldiers. He hoped, at all events, to hear some better reasons alleged for the rejection of the apparatus at Aldershot than had been offered in the miserable explanation to which the House had just listened.