§ MR. BUTCHER (York)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War, whether in regard to the contracts recently made, for the supply of forage to the War Office by Underwood and Co., Limited, under the name of John E. Bennett and Sons, his attention has been called to the provisions of Section 41 of the Companies Act, 1862, which provide for the name of a limited company to be affixed conspicuously on the outside of every place where the business of the company is carried on, and the name of the company to be mentioned in (amongst other documents) all notices, advertisements, and other official publications of the company, and in all bills of parcels, invoices, and receipts of the company; whether the provisions of this section were complied with by Underwood and Co., Limited; if not, whether steps will be taken to enforce against the directors and other officials of the company the penalties prescribed by Section 42 of the Companies Act, 1862: and, whether, in all cases of tenders for the supply of goods being made to the War Office by firms trading under a firm name, the War Office will, with a view to avoiding frauds, insist that the names and addresses of the partners in the firm shall, in every case, be mentioned in such tenders.
*THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. J. POWELL-WILLIAMS,) Birmingham, S.The point, raised by the hon. and learned Member in respect of the Companies Act, 1862, has been referred to the Law Officers of the Crown. The course suggested in the third paragraph of the question had already been decided upon before the question of the hon. Member appeared upon the Paper.