§ COLONEL DUNCAN (Finsbury, Holborn)asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he is able as yet to state the names of the members of the Commission promised by him to consider complaints received during the past five years as to Military Stores and Equipments; and, whether he can state to the House the instructions in detail which he proposes to give to the Commission?
§ THE SECEETAEY OF STATE (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)Yes, Sir. The names of the Royal Commissioners will be Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, one of the Judges of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice; Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Alison, K.C.B.; Vice Admiral Nowell Salmon, O.B.; Sir Walter B. Barttelot, Bart., M.P.; and Dr. Percy, F.E.S., who has been nominated as the most eminent metallurgist of the day by the President of the Royal Society. The Reference to the Royal Commission will be in the following terms:—To inquire into and report upon the system under which the patterns of warlike stores are adopted, and the stores obtained, and passed into Her Majesty's Service; and to report whether any improvement can be effected in that system; also to inquire into and report upon the complaints which have been made since the 1st of July, 1881, as to any warlike stores then 590 or now in use in Her Majesty's Service; and to report as to the persons, if any, responsible for any defects which they may find to have existed during the same period in the warlike stores passed into the Service. I may add that a Schedule or Abstract will be carefully prepared showing all complaints made as to warlike stores that have reached the War Department during the last five years, and that it will be submitted to the Royal Commission.