§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will state upon what date was the contract signed between the War Office and the firm of M'Connachie Brothers, Limited, for the supply of tinned rations for the troops in South Africa; whether it contained a fair wages clause; the number of tins cont acted for; and the proportion of those rejected as being unfit for use.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Brodrick.) During the period of the war there have been twenty-three different contracts with M'Connachie Brothers for the meat and vegetable rations, all of which contained the usual clause as to payment of current rates of wage No of these 942 tinned rations was condemned, but a proportion of the emergency rations was found to deteriorate after they had been a considerable time on hand, and the firm supplied further consignments.