SIR HENRY FLETCHERsaid, he wished to know from the Secretary of State for War, Whether the new Army organization scheme which appeared in the "Times" last Thursday, and which had been followed up to-day, was authentic, and when it would be laid on the Table?
§ MR. CHILDERSThe Memorandum is in the hands of the printer, and I hope it will be in the hands of hon. Members on Thursday or Friday. It will be found a much longer Paper than could have been given in any newspaper article. I hope that before the end of the month there will be an opportunity given for discussing it.
§ In reply to an hon. MEMBER,
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, that there had appeared in The Times, and he thought another newspaper, a fragment of the amended Memorandum.
§ COLONEL MAKINSremarked that the right hon. Gentleman had not even yet answered the Question. They wished to know if this publication was authorized?
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, the words "authorized" and "authentic" had now come to be used in a very dangerous way. He begged to repeat that what appeared in The Times, and he thought some other newspaper, was a part only of the Memorandum which was in the hands of the printer. He had not read the statements in the newspapers with sufficient care to be able to say whether it was accurate; but, so far as he remembered, some of them were not.
§ SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOTwished to know whether the right hon. Gentleman had given authority to the newspapers to use the statement, and whether the statement was accurate?
§ MR. CHILDERSI do not think I could answer that Question accurately without giving rise to much misunderstanding. I have not the least wish to avoid stating what is strictly accurate; but I do happen to be aware that part of the information did reach a certain person who may have given it to The 360 Times, but certainly not with my authority. As I said before, the newspapers contained only a part of the information, which will be in the hands of Members in a day or two.
§ SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOTMay I ask why we have not in our hands the information which on Thursday last was communicated to The Times?
§ MR. CHILDERSI stated that only part of the Memorandum has appeared in the newspapers, and I will take care that the whole shall be in the hands of Members without delay. I have not delayed the presentation of the Memorandum a single hour.
§ MR. T. COLLINSThe right hon. Gentleman has forgotten to say whether what appeared in the newspapers was authentic and authorized.
§ MR. CHILDERSAs I said before, "authentic and authorized" are, according to recent experience, ambiguous and dangerous words to use. I can say nothing more until hon. Members have seen the whole statement, which will be in their hands in a day or two.