§ 85. Major GLYNasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions what sum has been realised by the sale of insulators (both glass and china), telephone and telegraph cables, telephone and telegraph instruments, and telegraph poles thrown up by the Army for sale by the Disposal Board since the Armistice; whether the Disposal Boards intends to take any action for the collection and sale of such material at present in position in many parts of France and Flanders; and what has been the reason for these articles not being placed at the disposal of the Post Office authorities?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of MUNITIONS (Mr. Hope)The reply is rather lengthy, and with the hon. Member's permission I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The following is the answer referred to:
§ The total sum realised since the Armistice by the sale of the material in question in this country is £68,484. A considerable amount of telephone and telegraph material which complied with the specifications laid down by the Post Office has been purchased by that Department. With regard to such stores in France and Flanders, it is not possible to give the amount realised by the sale of specific articles, inasmuch as for the 1724 most part they have been sold in bulk with other stores. The cost of collection and the shortage of personnel available precluded the possibility of dismantling the material in fixed routes, and most of it has been sold to the French Government. I understand that a quantity of the stores in dumps and depots has already been transferred by the military authorities to the United Kingdom. The remainder has been collected by the Disposal Board in France, and will be offered for sale if not required by the Post Office.