§ 25. Mr. W. THORNEasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a practice exists by which Army meat contractors are permitted to avail themselves in emergencies of the Government meat supplies when Territorial and local camps are in need of meat; whether last February or thereabouts the contractor supplying the Honourable Artillery Company, when in camp at Rainham, tendered to 355 them a number of Monte Video cow fore-quarters of beef which were discovered to be in a putrid condition, and which were accepted by the battalion and buried in a trench; whether it was afterwards discovered that these were supplied from Government stock; whether the War Office was called upon to pay full value for the same; and why, in view of the sums spent on meat inspection, they were accepted at all from any source whatever?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe practice referred to in the first part of the question does not exist. As regards the second part, the incident to which my hon. Friend presumably refers occurred last year. The camp at Rainham was not supplied by a contractor, but by the Army Service Corps from Purfleet. The meat was sound when it left Purfleet, no blame attaches to the Army Service Corps inspectors, and it was properly paid for by the War Department. The action of the battalion in making away with meat before it had been condemned or even examined by a Board of Inquiry was highly irregular and has been suitably noticed.
§ 26. Mr. THORNEasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is almost a daily occurrence for the vans of potted meat contractors and canned beef contractors, reputed to be holding Imperial and local Army contracts, to be loaded at Smithfield Market with salvaged and trimmed portions of United States and other classes of chilled beef; whether this beef, though actually sound at the moment of delivery in Smithfield, was yet so far gone in many cases that it would actually deteriorate with twenty-four hours and become putrid; and whether, in view of the unsatisfactory condition of Army meat inspection, he will notify the local authorities of the districts where all firms potting and canning meat for the Army have works and ask them to instruct their certified inspectors to keep a special observation on such work?
§ Mr. FORSTERI am not aware of the facts stated in the first part of the question. But even if true, they would have no bearing on the soundness of meat potted or canned for the use of the Army, since all such meat is inspected on the contractors' premises by inspectors under the Local Government Board, and in addition the goods are examined before delivery is accepted.