§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, having regard to the fact that, under a War Office letter dated the 14th October, 1902, the Treasury was induced to assent to £1,321 10s. being paid as compensation for the cancellation of contracts for telegraph poles for South Africa, valued at £4,644, will he state whether, before suggesting the cancellation of the contracts at this cost, any efforts were made to ascertain whether the poles would be of service to the Post Office Telegraphs with a view to the transfer of the contracts to that Department.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERThe poles were specially provided for the field telegraph, and were not suitable for the purposes of the General Post Office.