MILLIONS MISSING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3406, 10 February 1920, Page 3

MILLIONS MISSING.

£0,000,000 “GONE WEST.”

BRITISH KNIGH"‘7IOOD MYSTERY.

LONDON, November 25.

l.4‘mnl all: parts of the House of Com. mons Liinisfers were subjected to a, sharp and 11101-ciloss fire of questions on do})al‘tnlolltal waste. Millions of money have been poured away which might have been saved to the nation and ‘rhus reliex-'od the burden of ‘(hp heavi‘._v—pl‘essed t.a.xpayel-, Anotllc-r explanation of a huge sum of money will be demanded by Mr J. M. Hogge, a. Liberal Opposition Whip, who will ‘ask the Parliamentary Sec--I'ot-.u'y to the I\linfstl-y of Munitions \\'llot'hol' the valuc .11’ maftorial supplied to .\;[inistx'y of Munitions contractors on free issue, which has not been accounted for exceeds £9,000,000. HONOUED B'Y KNIGHTHOOD.

Dr. Mul'l'a_v (L. Inverncss and Ross)’ will ask the I’al'liamontal'y Secretary to the .\lilliStl'y of Nfiiuiirions wlietlmr he is aware tlla.t no action was taken on its being rep-:’;“i0d by :1 Ministry official that boxes were being sold to a Cont'i‘2lcrfor for (id each and bought back liy this (lopiwtmolit Qt‘ the .\linistl'y for 5s 6d each; and whether the official to whom this was reported and who should have taken the nlat«tel' up has been honoured on the I'o<:omnlcn—dation of the M.inistl'y ofAMunitionS by u knighthood. MELLIONS OF UNSOLD BOXES.

“H ois also asking whether it is known What there was no acknowledgment of 3 London oucfiolleel"s 0fl"o1' to dispose (on terms to be discussed) of the boxes and packing-cases supplied to 10,000 Mulliti/ans l\[inisl'l'y colltl‘acfo!'s as free issuo. Es -H3O asks if millions of these boxes are still unsold, though a big stafl“. has been dcaliu-g with xfhem, what the cos": of this ostablishlm~nt 11:19 a.nlount:)i to, and what ‘;;1n0m1t will have to be wl'ittt‘n off’ 9"» 10:31‘. .'n'ough no Ir:l,iCn being take‘, (0 ascertain the ‘fillly (.f boxes.

Qtwstiolls by Mr J. LVI. 11-Jgge :11 cludo the following:—~

LARGE PAYMENTS, NO DE-

LIVERIES.

W'}lctllol-1, because many .\Tmi‘iul ;\[inistry’s contracts wcre loascly worded wit)‘ emissions as ".10 price or rate for articles ordered, «:*n.. I'.u'grclaims have been, and arc,vbeivlg I_v--.2d c\'l'}' week to contl'actol's W 311) ]l3.\"L' made no deliveries under‘ ‘.h<:-i.r -.--n----tracts and to ol‘ll<}l'nsw\\'llo £13.60 f-.ll‘od to deliver -jccifiod qll'lnliti>.~' ‘nor

week, etc. 2 Whctller, in Czlscs where there obviously no legal liability und»2l' the‘ t3ollTl‘=l(’.’t, claims are being .-mvl us‘ 11:u'dship cases. “A CERTAIN DISCOVERY." VVhethel' ' contractor sent in .1 claixn for over ‘£30,000 to the Ivliui:>3try of‘ ),[uni’rions on ‘.l cov~l:l'zlcf ‘rh-1f vas made in .Tuno,, 19-8, cancolltéd in No-_ Vomber of the same year, in which 1101 rate was spccilied and againsr '.'ll7.cn nothing was delivdrod. . Why, after the claim was I_)zl.sse<;‘-. by the Ministry, the payment was «topivod by the Treasury on :1 certain «lis'éo\'ei'>* having bmm made by a Minissrry ufiicial; and ‘ Whei;l-,el- Illis ofiicial, as ‘EL I'o\\'al'd for his efi?ol"ts, has been nbrought under demobilisation.

,-\sking".lbou.f illcl'ea,Ses of salary .~.im-v thhc zll':llisti<:e, he wants to know whnthm: 9.1 clerk who began on" 31/6 :1 \\'ook was x-'.l’:od fo £SOO :1 year; if the salary of the head of an establishment was raised by £l5O a. year; if :1 voluntary xvorkcr (Central Stores

}.!«n-,~.~-t::::.~nt) was giw;-11 £BOO a year; and if salary increases were given ].rincipail_V to bu:<inosS nwn who w(!':c

zmxi‘ to rejoin their own businossc-S.