HC Deb 27 June 1905 vol 148 cc243-5
MR. GALLOWAY (Manchester, S. W.)

I beg to ask the Financial Secretary to the War Office if his attention has been called to a statement in the Press to the effect that six or seven millions of money was lost upon the sales of stores referred to by Lord Kitchener as being in his possession at the end of the war, and whether the statement is true.

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. BROMLEY DAVENPORT,) Cheshire, Macclesfield

My attention has been drawn to the statement, which is undeniably inaccurate. If the hon. Member wishes me to state a few of the leading facts already mentioned I will repeat them. Lord Kitchener estimated that the stores in his possession at the end of the war, if all sold, might realise seven millions of money. Whether that estimate was correct or not I need not now discuss, but there is evidence to show that it was based upon anticipation of prices which were not in fact realised. I can give to the House four figures, which have been already quoted, and which show the absurdity of the suggestion that £7,000,000 have been lost. We have received from the Repatriation Committee for stores sold to them £2,680,000, all stores referred to by Lord Kitchener. We have received further £2,000,000 for horses and other animals, and, £718,000, as stated by my right hon. friend last night, in respect of those transactions which were under discussion yesterday. We also, out of those stores, fed for six months 140,000 persons in the concentration camps. The total value of those stores so supplied to the camps cannot possibly have been less than £1,000,000. If those figures are added together, it will be found that upon the stores remaining at the end of the war we realised £6,400,000. I wish to add that I do not at all admit that the remaining £600,000 is to be regarded as loss—because, as I have already stated, the estimate of Lord Kitchener was based, as can be shown, on prices which could not be realised.

MR. LIEF JONES (Westmoreland, Appleby)

Is there any significance in the use of the word "surplus" by Lord Kitchener.

MR. BROMLEY DAVENPORT

The intention was to sell everything, and the valuation Lord Kitchener put upon his stores was in respect of all stores he then had in South Africa.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES

Can the House have a statement showing the actual remaining stores to which these calculations had reference, and the amounts received for each category, and the times of sale.

MR. BROMLEY DAVENPORT

I am not prepared to answer at this moment. I have been asked to state, and have stated, the actual money received. The statement that there has been a loss of £7,000,000 is absolutely without foundation.

MR. LIEF JONES

Is it to be understood that Lord Kitchener did not contemplate reserving any stores?

MR. RUNCIMAN (Dewsbury)

Is it a fact that a profit was made on the transactions, and will it appear in the accounts as an appropriation in aid?

MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)

Shall we realise a dividend on the war?

MR. WHITLEY

Is it not the case that supplies were pouring into South Africa all this time?

MR. BROMLEY DAVENPORT

It is true, and that has been taken into account. On the other hand, it must be remembered that during six months we took out of the stores six months perishable and nine months imperishable supplies. It is perfectly fair, though these are rough estimates, to set one against the other.

MR. RUNCIMAN

Will the figures appear in the Appropriation Accounts?

MR. BUCHANAN (Perthshire, E.)

Will these figures be laid before the Commission?

MR. BROMLEY DAVENPORT

No doubt they will be available should the Commissioners wish to have them.

THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.

Of course they will.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

Shall I be justified inputting down the Questions to the Financial Secretary which his master, the Secretary for War, has refused to answer? He certainly is the more communicative.

MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)

As this experiment has been so successful, will the Financial Secretary to the War Office ask the hon. Member for South-West Manchester to give notice of another "cut and dried" Question?

[No Answer was returned.]