§ MR. P. O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)On behalf of the honourable Member for the St. Patrick Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the meat contracts for Great Britain and Ireland, save Aldershot and the Curragh, have been given to an American firm registered in England; and whether he can state the amount of saving to the Treasury effected by this contract?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. J. POWELL WILLIAMS,) Birmingham, S.The facts are not as set forth in the first paragraph of the honourable Member's Question. As I stated on the 17th May, the tenders of the firm referred to have been accepted only to a limited extent, in five districts out of 16. The saving effected, as compared with the price at which other firms tendered, is considerable, but the amount cannot be definitely ascertained.