§ COLONEL RUSSELL (Cheltenham)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War, whether a large proportion of the meat supplied to the Army is chilled meat imported from abroad, and nearly all the oats provided for the Mounted Services are also imported; if so, what is the difference in the contract price of these two supplies respectively, and have any reports been recently furnished regarding their respective qualities?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY OF THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. J. POWELL WILLIAMS,) Birmingham, S.Under the Regulations, supplies of refrigerated beef and frozen mutton to an extent not exceeding 60 per cent, of the whole supply may be issued to the troops. As regards 820 oats, no question of origin is raised, provided they are up to the stipulated standard of quality. The separate prices for home and foreign meat cannot be stated, as tenders are called for for the combined supply within the regulated proportion. I may add that attempts are being made to extend the system of purchasing forage locally, and that the whole question of the supply of meat and forage is under consideration.
§ COLONEL RUSSELLI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether a large proportion of the meat supplied to the Navy is chilled meat imported from abroad; and, if so, what proportion does this amount bear to the meat supplied from home resources; what difference is there in the contract price of the two classes of meat; and, have any reports been furnished regarding their respective qualities?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. W. E. MACARTNEY,) Antrim S.At Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Portland the meat supplied to the Navy is slaughtered in the Government establishments. With these exceptions, the supply of dead meat is made under contracts, in which the condition is laid down that no refrigerated meat is to be supplied. The points specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the question do not, therefore, arise, so far as the Navy is concerned.