§ MR. A. C. MORTONI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what steps have been taken by the Military Authorities with respect to the information given to the Army Clothing Department, that cloth belonging to Her Majesty's Government had been sold to a firm or firms in the City by master tailors in the Army, named Cooper, attached to the depôt at Canterbury, and Stone, attached to a regiment at Lucknow; whether any, and, if any, what, steps have been taken by the Military Authorities as regards Cooper and Stone in connection with such transactions; whether the Secretary of State is aware that a traffic in Army cloth has been carried on between private firms and master tailors, acting in collusion with quartermaster sergeants, or otherwise; and whether he will cause any inquiry to be made with the view of stopping such practices? I beg also to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department will he explain on what grounds further proceedings were abandoned by the Metropolitan Police respecting illegal sales of Army cloth to City firms, which the evidence in their possession connected with the firm of Messrs. Terry and Co., of Milk Street; and for what reasons Inspector Mitchell of the City Police subsequently called on witnesses who had given evidence to the Metropolitan Police and demanded the return to Messrs. Terry and Co. of documents incriminating that firm which had been laid before the Scotland Yard authorities?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe circumstances attending the sale of Government cloth by Cooper, the civilian doing duty as mister tailor at the Cavalry depôt, have been thoroughly investigated with the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Department. Acting on the advice of counsel, I have refrained from instituting legal proceedings in the matter, but Cooper's connection with the Cavalry depôt has been terminated and a military 806 sergeant master tailor appointed. The old system of supplying clothing in. material to be made up at the headquarters of the regiment by a civilian master tailor has been abandoned in the Service (except in the Household Cavalry), but the change had to be introduced gradually, and the Canterbury depôt was the last example of it; and it had been decided that the new system of supplying made-up clothing direct from the Clothing Department should take effect at Canterbury on the 1st of this month. Under this new system no irregularity such as had occurred can take place. We have no special knowledge of the other case referred to, the clothing arrangements of regiments in India being controlled by the Government of India.