§ MR. BROWN, in rising to call attention to the present system of purchasing Remounts for the Cavalry, and to ask what steps were being taken to remedy the evils of the present system, said, that under the present system agents were employed to attend different fairs for the purpose of purchasing horses, and the result was that the sellers took advantage of the competition to raise the prices to the injury of the public service. At present the arrangements for procuring remounts were defective, and as instanced in a recent purchase of 683 horses, the colonels of different regiments competed with each other in obtaining them, not always getting those horses which were best suited for their own branch of the service. If the country, however, were divided into districts for this purpose, those who purchased the horses could have the power of drafting them off to those places where they were most required. He wished to know what steps had been taken to remedy the evils of the existing system, and to prevent the competition of colonels in the purchase of remounts for cavalry?
§ SIR HENRY STORKSsaid, he would admit the importance of the subject, but thought there was no Army in the world which was better mounted than the British. The hon. Member asked what steps were being taken to remedy the existing state of things. He could not, for his own part, see that any such steps were necessary; but if the hon. Member would be good enough to give him in 1117 writing the plan which he suggested, he would examine it with much pleasure. Certainly the cost of cavalry horses had greatly increased of late; but everybody who bought horses knew that the prices had risen generally. After adducing detailed statistics of the present establishment of horses for the various branches of the service, the right hon. and gallant Gentleman said he did not think that the cavalry would be so well mounted as they were unless the colonels of regiments had the power of buying horses, nor, though horses were no doubt becoming dearer, that that fact was owing to the competition of commanding officers.