§ Mr. STANTONasked time Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that on the announcement of his resolution to control and regulate meat supply and prices the late chief inspector at Smithfield Market. offered his services voluntarily to assist in any manner which would make the scheme effective and workable; and, seeing that this gentleman had reorganised meat inspection at Smithfield and been pensioned by the City of London Corporation after thirty years of service and was in every sense an expert in his industry, what was the reason for simply acknowledging the letter and taking no further steps in the matter?
Mr. PARKERAn offer of services was received from Mr. G. P. Terrett, late Chief Inspector of Meat at the Central Market, London, on the 23rd August last, and acknowledged on the 24th. His application has been considered, together with thousands of similar applications, but no suitable opportunity for employment has hitherto been found. He did not state that he offered his services in an honorary capacity. I may add that, as the Ministry of Food is not concerned with the sanitary inspection of meat, the expert knowledge of this gentleman might be of greater value at the present time to his previous employers, or to some other local authority, in view of the existing shortage of properly qualified meat inspectors.