§ Mr. HUNTasked the Postmaster-General whether, at the time that he made an announcement to the Select Committee on the Marconi Contract to the effect that the Government were advised that it would be useless to attempt to hold the Marconi Company to their contract, he was already engaged in negotiating a new contract with that company; and, if so, why he neglected to inform the Select Committee of the fact?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELBefore reopening negotiations with the Marconi Company I wrote to the Chairman of the Select Committee on 16th June a letter which is published in the minutes of proceedings, saying that prior to taking any further action to secure the erection of the wireless stations, I should be glad of an opportunity of stating to the Committee, at a private meeting, the course which was proposed. The Committee thereupon appointed their Chairman and two other members as a sub-committee to interview me on the matter. To them I stated the legal advice that the Government had received with respect to the repudiation by the Marconi Company of the contract of July, 1912. I also informed them that, for reasons which I outlined, it had been decided to negotiate a fresh contract if reasonable terms could be secured. I pointed out that if these matters were publicly stated by me in evidence before the Committee it was obvious that such754W negotiations would be seriously prejudiced. Subsequently, the Select Committee adjourned for ten days. At the end of that time, the general terms of a new contract having been arranged with the company and reduced to writing, I attended a public meeting of the Select Committee and expressed my readiness to inform them of the course the Government proposed to take. As the hon. Member would have been aware if he had taken the pains to read the Report of the proceedings at that meeting, it was the Committee which determined that they did not desire to hear evidence on that point. His suggestion that through my neglect the Committee did not receive information which should have been given to them is therefore wholly unwarranted.
§ Mr. HUNTasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the recommendation in February, 1912, of the technical sub-committee appointed at the suggestion of the Imperial Wireless Committee that before a contract should be entered into either with Paulsen or the Marconi Company the terms of such contract should be submitted to an expert committee, he will see that the proposed contract with the Marconi Company is submitted to such a committee before the House is asked to approve it?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI have been assured that the recommendation to which the hon. Member refers was intended to mean that the specification and technical details should be examined by a committee of experts before a contract was made. Such a committee, consisting of technical officers of the Government Departments concerned, with Whom Mr. Duddell, the consulting engineer has lately co-operated, has made a close examination of the technical details of the contract and of the specifications scheduled to it.