§ MR. LEVY (Leicestershire, Loughborough)To ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the statement of the Comptroller 185 and Auditor-General that the Director of Supplies in South Africa from October, 1902, to December, 1903, disposed of stores which realised £474,000 to three firms, two of whom were forage contractors to the Army; what was the loss to the Government by these sales; who these contractors were; whether they are still on the list of Government contractors; why oats and oat-hay, which had been purchased during January, 1903, at 17s. 11½d. and 17s. 8½d. per 100 1bs., were sold to the same contractor who supplied this forage for 11s. and 10s. per 100 1bs. respectively between January and March, 1903; and whether the amount of £21,232 allowed for deterioration was in respect of forage supplied by the selfsame contractor; and why the contracts asked for in reference to these transactions have not been transmitted to the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Arnold-Forster.) The names of the contractors are E. Stepney, of Standerton, South Africa; Messrs. Meyer and Co., of Pretoria; and Messrs. Wilson and Worthington, of Pretoria. Two of these contractors hold contracts for the year 1904–5. The copies of the contracts called for were, on receipt of the audit query, obtained from South Africa; they have not yet been forwarded to the Auditor-General, as they are at present detained for the special inquiry at the War Office to which I alluded yesterday. The other points raised can hardly be dealt with within the limits of an Answer to a Question. They will form part of the reply which will be sent to the Auditor-General after the inquiry has been held.