§ Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the Secretary of State for War whether a certain senior official, lately in the employ of the Navy and Army Canteen Board at their headquarters, whose position with the Board made him intimately acquainted 1337W with the stocks of goods held by the Board, as to their quantities, prices, location, and surplus stocks, has been trading, alone or with others, under the name of George Blake and Company, Camomile Street Chambers, E.C. 3; whether this company has been purchasing large quantities of groceries, candles, cigarettes, and other goods from the Board; whether he is aware that the payments made to the Board by the company in the month of August amounted to over £70,000, and that these payments represented only a percentage of the value of the goods supplied; if he will state what the total amount of sales made to the company amounted to from 1st June to 30th September, 1919, and what the total payments made to the Board by the company amounted to for the same period, and what balance was owing by the company to the Board at 30th September, 1919; if he will say whether a proper Disposal Board was only put into operation by the Board in the month of October of this year, and sales to this company for the period in question were made below market price and in many cases below coat price; if he will state whether proper competitive offers were asked for and obtained for all the goods supplied to the company in question; who was responsible for making these sales to the company; and what supervision, if any, was exercised over these sales by the Board of Management of the Navy and Army Canteen Board?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am informed that since early in 1918 the Navy and Army Canteen Board have had large contractual relations, both by sales and purchases, with the firm mentioned. One of the Board's headquarter inspectors, after leaving their employ, joined the firm towards the end of July last. The system adopted, under which competitive offers are obtained, has resulted in fair and reasonable prices being secured for surplus stocks sold by private treaty. The disposal of surplus stocks was carried out by the buying organisation of the Board of Management under the supervision of one of their most experienced officials, until the latter was swat overseas for duty in October last, when a Disposal Board was set up. The Board of Management are necessarily responsible for the policy, and exercise a general control. With regard to the remainder of the question, details of transactions with individual firms must1338W be regarded as confidential, and I regret that such information cannot, be published.