QUESTION. (Hansard, 6 July 1868)

§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTON

, in reply, said, he had seen the Report in question, which made very favourable mention of the Windsor Cavalry Barracks in some, although it complained of their condition in other respects. The chief points of complaint were the failure of certain modern inventions for the promotion of cleanliness, the absence of sufficient accommodation for the families of married men, and the want of water. As to the first point, he could only say that the inventions to which reference was made were not, he believed, always found to be successful. There were complaints on the subject last winter, and a medical officer, in conjunction with an officer of Engineers, had been sent to visit the different barracks to ascertain the real state of the case. The Report of those gentlemen had not, however, yet been received, and he could not, therefore, give a decided answer with respect to those mentioned. The complaint in reference to the accommodation provided for married soldiers he must say he looked upon as somewhat unreasonable. It was well to bear in mind the position occupied by married soldiers ten or twelve years ago, when they and their wives were obliged to occupy the same rooms with single men. During the last twelve years £240,000 had been expended in providing quarters for them; and the expenditure for the purpose of providing the married soldiers and their wives with separate rooms was going on at the rate of £30,000 or £40,000 per annum. It was now, however, made matter of complaint that a married soldier with a family of five or six children was not provided with two rooms; but he thought that single rooms ought to be provided before such complaints could fairly be indulged in. As to the want of water, he had merely to to state that the Windsor Barracks had a water company to supply them, and that he could not understand why they should suffer any inconvenience in that respect.