§ MR. HANBURYI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to evidence, recently given before the Chester Bankruptey Court, by John Rowlands, for several years contractor for bread to the Chester garrison, who stated that he supplied Quartermaster Yates (now in India) and Quartermaster Binthall (who has since left the Army) regularly with bread for themselves and families, for which they never paid, that both of them had to do with the rations, and it would have been an awkward thing to press them for payment; whether he will make inquiry into the truth of this allegation; what is the actual duty of Quartermasters as to inspecting and reporting on rations; and if their duties extend only to reporting on quantity, what steps he has taken to insure that the officers whoso duty it is to inspect rations for quality do not devolve that duty upon their Quartermasters?
§ *MR. E. STANHOPEThe particular case referred to in the question is under investigation. The duties of a Quartermaster in inspecting rations are limited by Queen's Regulations to points of quantity. He has nothing to do with quality; and it is the duty of his commanding officer to see that the regulations are complied with.