§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the Fourth Report of the Committee on Public Accounts, in which attention is called to the fact that a large condemnation of salt pork and salt beef on the "Sans Pareil" and other ships, and furthermore that 36,000 lbs. of salt meat were condemned as unfit for consumption in the victualling yard at Deptford, will he state whether this meat was foreign or home fed; and, in view of this enormous loss of food, the Admiralty would consider the advisability of placing contracts for salt meat with Irish or other home curers, so as to ensure a periodical supply of wholesome salt meat.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. MACARTNEY,) Antrim, S.No condemnation of meat was made in the "Sans Pareil" or any other of Her Majesty's ships, nor were any complaints received from them. The meat in question was condemned at Deptford. With the exception of 8001bs., which was Danish, the whole of the pork condemned was Irish. 467 All the beef condemned was American. The whole of the salt beef consumed in the Navy has until recently been obtained from America, which is the only available commercial source of supply, but 50,0001bs. is now cured annually at Deptford Victualling Yard. In the last annual contracts for pork three-fourths of the total requirements were alloted to Irish firms and one-fourth only to Danish firms.
§ MR. FLYNNIs it not the fact that the meat condemned was condemned owing to the manner in which it was treated in the Victualling Yard?
§ MR. MACARTNEYNo fault was found as to it. It had been properly treated in the yard.
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)Is it not a fact there is only ¼d. per lb. difference in the price of foreign and home bred pork?
§ MR. MACARTNEYI cannot answer that without notice.
§ MR. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)Does the hon. gentleman say sailors have no right to object to rotten pork?
§ (No answer was given).