§ MR. BROADHURSTsaid, he begged to ask the Surveyor General of Ordnance a Question of which he had given him private Notice. It had reference to a Question addressed to the hon. Gentleman the other day with regard to the supply of pumps for the Soudan, and was, Whether he had received any communication in regard to that subject from any member of the trade in England?
§ MR. BRANDYes, Sir. We have received at the War Office a letter from a well-known firm in Birmingham—Messrs. Tangye—[loud laughter]—I do not know what politics have to do with the supply of any material for the use of the Army. I wish I had had it in my hands when I was pressed on the subject the other night by the hon. Member for Mid Lincolnshire. The letter is addressed to the Secretary of State for War, and is as follows:—
My Lord,—In common with other makers of steam pumps, I confess I was much concerned to find that a large order for these machines had been given to a foreign firm at a time when the English machine trade is suffering from an almost unparalleled depression. Like many other firms, we have been keeping a large number of men employed in making for stock, hoping for better times, and have a large number of pumps on hand which we should have been glad to have sold to the Department. An inquiry was made, and I have to-day ascertained that the duty required of the pumps in question is so great that there is not the slightest chance of any suitable for the work being found in stock in England, and many months would be required to make them. Under these circumstances, I can only congratulate the War Department on being so fortunate as to find the pumps ready to hand.
MR. J. LOWTHERI wish to ask whether the writer of that letter is the same person whose name cropped up in connection with the Aston disturbances?
§ [No reply.]