§ 13. Sir FORTESCUE FLANNERYasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether there has been delay in supplying Royal Horse Artillery batteries, Territorial Force, with telephone equipment; whether this necessary equipment is in stock and on sale in London; whether it has in some cases been bought direct by battery officers; and whether in such cases such expenditure will be approved and reimbursed, so as to hasten the supply of this equipment, as in many cases the lives of such officers will be dependent on telephone communication.
§ Mr. FORSTERTelephone equipment has not yet been authorised for issue to the Territorial Force Horse Artillery at home, as all such available equipment is required for Field Artillery, Infantry, and Signal units. As far as I know there is no equipment suitable for service in stock or on sale in London. Local purchase of this equipment is prohibited, and no cases of such purchase by officers of the units referred to are known to the War Office.