§ 4. Mr. NEEDHAMasked the First Commissioner of Works whether, having regard to the special conditions in the new Government contract for building work in respect of the compulsory purchase of supplies of timber from His Majesty's Office of Works, it is the intention to take over all the existing stocks of timber in the merchants' hands; if not, what is the reason for the condition that purchases of timber must be made from His Majesty's Office of Works, thereby excluding the competition by timber merchants and importers; and why must contractors take delivery of timber as and where it lies, in view of the existing close relations of the Government and the railways?
§ The FIRST COMMISSIONER of WORKS (Mr. Harcourt)The answer to the first question is in the negative. The answer to the second is that the object of the contracts is to benefit the taxpayer by restricting the sphere in which private profit operates and by extending with that object the arrangement under which my Department supplies certain classes of timber to the War Office. The answer to the third question is that the arrangement was judged most convenient. I may add that in view of the urgency of this particular requirement and the heavy demands on Government stocks for other needs it is proposed to arrange that those stocks are only to be drawn on for this purpose by certain contractors near defined ports of entry and that other contractors will obtain their own supplies.
§ Sir A. MARKHAMIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that yesterday the President of the Board of Trade stated that where people in a responsible position in any trade were willing to give their services free to the Government they were 570 willing to accept those services; is that the policy of the Government, and if so why does he not accept it?
§ Mr. HARCOURTThis does not apply to the policy of the Government; it is a specific question about the timber trade.