MR. HANBUEY (Preston)asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether a tender for neatsfoot oil by Messrs. Brown and Deighton, of Preston, was recently declined, the only explanation being that the sample sent in was "without fat;" whether, when this firm replied that, on the contrary, it was "entirely fat," and "pure fat," the Director of Navy Contracts not only did not deny the fact, but stated—
Your remarks appear to prove that the specification given in the tender form is not as good as is to be desired. Steps will be taken to amend it next year;whether, when he recently stated in the House that the facts were not as above-mentioned, he had been furnished by the Department with merely an abstract instead of the actual words of the correspondence on the subject; whether he will cause admittedly defective specifications to be altered at once, instead of being left over for another year; and, whether, in connection with Navy contracts, he has found other instances of specifications either defective or not in accordance with present requirements?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. FORWOOD) (Lancashire, Ormskirk)In reply to the Questions of the hon. Member for Preston, I beg to say, as to the first, that a lengthy technical explanation, based on the Report of the Admiralty chemist on Messrs. Brown and Deighton's sample of oil, was furnished to that firm. In reply, they wrote expressing dissatisfaction with this explanation and commenting generally on the specification. The Director of Contracts replied to this communication, from which letter the Question of the hon. Member conveys a partial extract. The intention of the Director of Contracts was to convey to Messrs. Brown and Deighton that, as 218 the specification did not appear lucid to them, he would take steps to make it more explicit in future. As regards the third paragraph in the hon. Member's Question, the information furnished to me, on which I based my reply on June 14, was an abstract which fairly detailed the circumstances of the case, and I see no occasion to amend the reply that I then gave. Specifications that appear to require alteration are naturally amended, before new tenders are issued; and the one for neatsfoot oil will be considered before the next tenders are invited, which will not be required until 1888. Specifications do, from time to time, require amendment, as circumstances of manufacture and the wants of the Service suggest. In the Revised Regulations for the Director of Contracts he is instructed to inform himself as to the general conditions of purchase prevailing in the respective trades, and suggest such modifications in terms of purchase as may seem desirable. As regards appeals from manufacturers for redress, these are not to be decided except with the concurrence of the Financial Secretary.