68. Mr. T. WILSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if men who have been exempted from combatant service and who fail to report themselves when notified are, after being fined and handed over to the military authorities, marched through the streets handcuffed together; and, if so, whether this is done with his sanction?
§ Mr. TENNANTI am not aware that men are treated as stated in the question. If my hon. Friend would bring any specific case to my notice I will undertake that inquiry shall be made.
Mr. WILSONIs it the practice of the War Office to hand over men of this kind to be dealt with by a Civil Court?
§ Mr. TENNANTI have simply said that I was not aware of that.
§ 69. Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether two brothers, Robert and Edward Price, of Wigan, were arrested on 10th April as absentees under the Military Service Act, 1916; whether they were taken on 11th April to Ayr and there went on hunger strike; why it was necessary to send these two men, weakened by four days' fast, under on escort of five soldiers when they were then brought back to Ormskirk; whether they were subsequently released at Sea-forth because they were medically unfit for any service whatever; the total cost of maintaining these two men for over ten days, of sending them long railway journeys under escort, and of the other actions and precautions taken in this case; and whether care will in future be taken to see whether men are medically fit before expenses of this nature are incurred?
§ Mr. TENNANTI will call for a report about this matter.
§ Mr. KINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that he has had more than a week of notice to get the report and that on none of the questions on these subjects does he seem to get any answer to his inquiries in less than two or three weeks?
§ Mr. TENNANTI am quite aware that it is quite impossible to get an answer in two or three weeks.
§ Mr. KINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Members of this House can get replies to questions from independent people in these cases in two or three days, giving the fullest and most accurate information?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe replies which the hon. Member gets are really very inaccurate and often wholly inaccurate.