§ CAPTAN DONELAN (Cork, E.)I beg to ask the Financial Secretary to the 10 War Office, whether, seeing that many of the contracts for the supply of meat to the troops in Ireland expire at the end of the present month, the new contracts will contain conditions limiting the proportion of foreign meat; and, what steps will be taken to enforce the observance of such conditions?
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. J.POWELL-WILLIAMS,) Birmingham, S.I can only repeat that the subject of the supply of meat to the troops is under inquiry, but it is impossible as yet to make any announcement. The contracts run for six months only.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANI beg to ask whether, in view of the low price of home-grown meat, the authorities charged with the duty of investigating this subject will be empowered to consider the desirability of discontinuing altogether the use of these foreign refrigerated carcases, and of feeding the troops quartered in Ireland on good, wholesome Irish beef and mutton?
MR. POWELL-WILLIAMSThat is precisely the matter under inquiry. It is impossible at present to give any decision with regard to it, inasmuch as the information that has to be collected is not yet anything like complete.