§ MR. CLANCY (Dublin County, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, though the Government has a large farm at Lusk, county of Dublin, on which a large amount of hay is annually grown, the hay so grown was sold previous to the recent military manœuvres in the neighbourhood 611 whether foreign-grown hay had, in consequence, to be bought in Liverpool for the use of the calvary; if so, why was the home-grown hay sold, and at what price was it sold, and at what price (freight included) was the foreign hay bought; was the beef supplied to the troops during the manœuvres obtained in Ireland or abroad, and at what price; does the contract allow the contractor to supply home or foreign beef; were any complaints made of the beef supplied, or was any condemned as unfit for use; do the medical officers inspect and report on the foodstuffs supplied to the troops; and who is responsible for the forage and food arrangements respectively.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER,) Belfast,W.Only nineteen tons of hay, which was two years old and reported to be unsuitable for feeding the horses, were sold to make room for the new crop. The farm produces 150 tons a year. As regards the supply of beef, home-bred beef is always insisted on in this command, and no complaints have been made and no meat has been condemned. It is not usual for medical officers to inspect rations for troops at any station; the responsible officers are those appointed specially for that purpose in each command and district.