§ Mr. T. RICHARDSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that appeals for money for political purposes on behalf of Mr. Havelock Wilson were typed by the staff of the War Office branch at the Imperial Institute on Government paper in Government time; whether he is aware that money for such purposes is asked for by principals under conditions which make refusal difficult; and whether this has been done with the knowledge and approval of the War Office?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONYes, Sir; a principal clerk in charge of a branch caused a note to be typed by one of his staff and circulated to the members of his branch, saying that in recognition of the gallantry of our seamen and all we owe to them some members of the branch might like to support the "Seamen's Crusade," the objects of which were set out in an accompanying typed document. There was no suggestion in either document that these objects were in any sense political—in any case, they were not regarded as such—and the appeal was made to the staff as members of the patriotic public. The circulation of appeals to the staff in this way, whatever be the object of the appeal, is not in accordance with office rules and practice, and is to be deprecated. The official responsible has been reminded of this.