HC Deb 17 June 1903 vol 123 cc1165-6
MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, can he give the details as to amounts and nature of Army rations burned near Pretoria during April last as being unfit for food; did those stores chiefly consist of tinned rations; and, if so, can he state whether they were soldered tins, or what is known in the trade as non-soldered.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, Guildford

The number of rations burned was 1,699,382. They were all "meat and vegetable rations" in tins, of which about two-thirds were soldered and the rest non-soldered.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, E.)

Can the right hon. Gentleman say if the rations were all unsound, and will he state the name of the firm that supplied these unsound rations.

MR. BRODRICK

They had been landed for a long period, and some complaint having been made of a certain issue, an immediate investigation was made. In consequence, the rations were immediately destroyed.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

Will the right hon. Gentleman give the name of the contractor, and the length of time the rations had been in Africa before they became bad.

MR. PIRIE

Has the right hon. Gentleman received the Report he called for from the General Officer Commanding in South Africa, and will he publish it.

MR. BRODRICK

I do not know that there is any fault to be found with the contractor; and I am not sure that the supplies had not been kept for a longer period than was intended. But I do not know that there would be any objection to publishing the names of the contractors when I receive them. As to the Report of the General Officer, there were certain cases in which the rations distributed had been complained of. Thereupon an investigation was made, and it was found that deterioration had taken place in a considerable portion of the rations.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

What was the total value of the rations destroyed.

*MR. SPEAKER

Questions as to the names of the contractors and the value of the rations destroyed ought to be asked for after notice given.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

May I explain. I did put such a Question down, and the right hon. Gentleman asked me to postpone it.

MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)

Are rations in unsoldered tins still being used?

MR. BRODRICK

Tinned meats of various kinds are being used, but I cannot say whether they are unsoldered or not. There is no question as to laying Papers. It is the most simple question in the world. A large amount of supplies was left on our hands at the conclusion of the war. They would have been used in the next three or four months; but owing to the great reduction in the troops they have remained over for more than a year, and some have deteriorated and have been destroyed. There is no objection to giving the names of the contractors and the values of the rations.

MR. EUGENE WASON (Clackmannan and Kinross)

rose to put a further Question.

*MR. SPEAKER

Order, Order! This matter must not be debated by way of Question and Answer.