§ 26. Brigadier-General Clifton Brownasked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the serious damage to food production and forest roads, gate posts and culverts done by troops in manoeuvre areas, he will authorise commanders to employ repairing squads of troops, or prisoners of war, to reconstruct the damage as far as possible before next winter sets in?
§ Sir J. GriggRepair parties of troops to make good damage caused by large scale exercises already exist. They work under the control of claims officers and do their best to repair damage of the kind mentioned within a short time of its occurrence.
Brigadier-General BrownIs my right hon. Friend aware that reconstruction of damage is much more important than receiving the value? The parties he talks about are not very apparent in the countryside; could they be moved about more rapidly?
§ Sir J. GriggWe do the repairs as quickly as we can, but it is not always possible to do them at once. I was under the impression that the arrangements made were, by and large, pretty satisfactory.