§ *SIR JOHN COLOMB (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that neither the Preliminary Return nor the General Annual Return of the British Army were presented to the House last year, and that the latest information these Returns annually furnish is for 1898, and whether these Returns will be in the possession of the House before the debate on his resolution is closed.
§ MR. BRODRICKMy hon. and gallant friend is evidently not aware 739 that these Returns are compiled from elaborate detailed Returns rendered by units. It has naturally been found impracticable for units in South Africa to render them, and until the war is over it will not be possible to produce any complete information.