§ 6. Mr. GINNELLasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will state the actual amount paid to Messrs. Denny as commission for buying bacon for the Army in the financial years 1914–15, 1915–16, and 1916–17 respectively; whether their goods, as bacon curers, were on any occasion purchased at a higher price than the then current prices of their Irish competitors; and what percentage of all the Irish bacon purchased was manufactured by the Denny firm?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)The commission paid to Messrs. Denny amounted to £24,000 in the year 1914–15 and £25,000 in each of the two years 19L5–16 and 1916–17. These sums include the firm's working expenses. The goods of Henry Denny and Sons, Limited, were on occasion accepted at higher prices than those of some other Irish curers, the prices paid being governed by the relative market prices of the day. The proportion of the bacon manufactured by Messrs. Henry Denny to all the Irish bacon purchased for the Army was 60.96 per cent, between August, 1914, and March, 1915, 38.54 per cent. between April, 1915, and March, 1916, and 14.4 per cent, between April, 1916, and March, 1917. During the first period it was only with the utmost difficulty that the demands of the Army could be met, and it was 1497 therefore necessary to accept the larger offerings by the trade of the Denny brands.
§ Mr. GINNELLThe hon. Gentleman has not explained how it was that Messrs. Denny were actually paid a higher price for their own bacon than their Irish competitors were being paid at the same time?
§ Mr. FORSTERI think the hon. Member knows perfectly well that there are different brands of bacon, each of which commands different market prices in ordinary times.
§ Mr. GINNELLWill the hon. Gentleman say whether those prices for the Denny and other Irish-cured bacon, respectively, were the current prices at that time?
§ Mr. FORSTERI think that all these prices were the current market prices.