§ COLONEL WELBY (Taunton)To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether he is aware that at the court-martial on Captain Gordon Turner, assembled at Queenstown, South Africa, 7th April 1902, it was shown in evidence that remount farms at Clark's Siding, Cape Colony, had been leased to Government as containing 14,000 acres at a monthly rent of £10 per 1,000 acres, whereas the lessor only possessed 9,030 acres, thereby incurring a loss to the public of £50 per month; and whether he is aware that during those leases the lessor sold to Government for some time 600,000 lbs. of green forage daily, at £40 a day, grown on the leased farms; whether he will communicate to Parliament full particulars of these transactions, and the action taken by the military authorities to end this loss to the public and punish those responsible.
COLONEL WELBYTo ask the Secresary of State for War, if he can say by whom the remount farms at Clark's Siding were inspected previous to April, 1902; and whether the inspecting officer reported the loss Government was incurring to the Officer Commanding Eastern District, Cape Colony.
§ COLONEL WELBYTo ask the Secretary of State for War, whether the General Officer Commanding Eastern District, Capo Colony, by sanctioning the leases of the remount farms at Clark's Siding, made himself responsible that the public interest was duly considered and I safe-guarded in them.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Brodrick.) The points raised in the three Questions on this subject require very careful consideration, and it has been necessary to refer the matters to the authorities in South Africa, the information at my disposal being incomplete. I am afraid, therefore, I shall not be able to give any reply for some time.