§ MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the names of the London directors of the Imperial Supply and Cold Storage Company to be formed were given to the War Office at the time that the undertaking and agreement for the contract was signed by Messrs. Meyer, Joel, and Weil; whether this undertaking was an agreement to hand over the contract to those gentlemen and their syndicate after the registration of the company in 319 Pretoria; and whether these same gentlemen on behalf of the syndicate formed and registered such company in Pretoria.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Lord STANLEY,) Lancashire, WesthoughtonThe reply to the first sentence is in the negative. As regards the second sentence, the undertaking mentioned was a form of tender signed by the three gentlemen named on behalf of the company in course of formation, which was provisionally accepted by the War Office on February 12th. As regards the last sentence, I am not aware of the names of the persons by whom the company was registered in Pretoria.
§ MR. MARKHAMPerhaps the noble Lord will pardon me if I remind him that, in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Northampton, he stated that the same gentlemen were forming the company.