§ Mr. CROFTasked whether the contract for home safes which was granted to the C. O. Burns Company was cancelled on 20th March; and whether, before the contract was given to Fiscus, Limited, another firm tendered for the contract at 1s. 8d. per safe?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI was advised that any rights conferred upon the C. O. Burns Company by the acceptance of their tender was duly assigned by them to Mr. C. O. Burns, but that, for legal reasons, it was expedient to send to the C. O. Burns Company, of New York, a formal determination of any contract as between them and the Post Office based upon their tender and the acceptance of it by the Post Office, before a contract was formally entered into with Fiscus, Limited, the company promoted by Mr. C. O. Burns. But this proceeding obviously gave me no moral right to repudiate my acceptance of the C. O. Burns Company's tender, and to throw the contract open to fresh tenders. Had it been so opened, however, other firms, besides the one to which the hon. Member refers, should, of course, have had an opportunity of competing. The only valid tender which I have been in a position to entertain from the firm which the hon. Member has apparently in mind was their original tender of 2s. 6d. per safe.