§ MR. HANBURY (Preston)asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether tenders for a large number of sets of new valise equipments were recently invited; whether the invitations to tender were withdrawn, and the contract given to the inventor, Colonel Slade; whether the execution of such contract was by him handed over to Messrs. Ross and Co., who had been struck off the list of Army contractors; whether a portion of this new valise equipment consisted of French canvas, for which Messrs. Ross have the sole or principal agency in this country, and whether it was now for the first time used in the valise equipment; and, if so, whether it is usual to give contracts to middlemen instead of manufacturers, and to allow the middlemen to transfer their execution to contractors who have themselves been struck off the list; and, whether 36 it is intended to introduce further into the equipment of the Army an article the supply of which in England is solely in the hands of such contractors, and which in any case must be procured from abroad, and might not be procureable in time of war?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. E. STANHOPE) (Lincolnshire, Horncastle)Tenders were recently issued for 1,000 sets of the new valise equipment, which are practically for experimental trial. The tenders were, however, withdrawn, because patterns were not available; and, in the meantime, a request by the inventor and patentee to be permitted to make these sets was granted. Colonel Slade has been told that Messrs. Ross cannot be allowed to have any share in this contract, nor can they be recognized as his agents. In this equipment a small pouch to contain a spare magazine is made of French canvas; but that material is not essential to the manufacture of these pouches. I am afraid that, in many cases, it cannot be avoided that patentees should act as middlemen.