Army Contracts.

Manawatu Herald, 20 March 1902, Page 2

Army Contracts.

In the House of Commons Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, in moving for the appointment of a committee of inquiry into toe army meat contracts, stated that during the war, out of £130,000,000 expended on transport, remounts, provisions and clothing, £12,000,000 had passed through the hands of middlemen. Contractors had received twelve' millions on remounts. Certain vested interests backed by powerful financiers had apparently quartered themselves upon the War Office. Houlder Bros., said the speaker, seemed to monopolise certain classes of transport. En ightenment was needed respecting the meat contracts —whether there was collusion between two competitors. Mr Labouchere accused the Government of paying rubbishy prices for Queensland horses and receiving rubbishy animals. He strongly attacked Houlder Bros., and described Mr Bergl as “ a mere dummy.” Mr Brodrick, Secretary for Wav, said he was quite prepared for inquiry at an opportune time. At present it would be detrimental to.the public interests’ to hamper the conduct of the war. Neither the Government nor War Office had done anything they need be ashamed of, though he admitted there had been some mistakes. It was, he said, unwise to believe newspaper gossip and the “ cock-and-bull ” stories of disappointed contractors. He accused the mover of leaving the supply of artillery so inadequate that if the nation had gone to war in 1895 it would have been obliged to clear out of Houth Africa in three months. The debate was adjourned.