WAR STORES ENQUIRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8209, 13 August 1906, Page 5

WAR STORES ENQUIRY.

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION

LONDON, August 10.

After the publication last year of the sensational report of Sir William Butler's Committee oa the disposal of warj stores at the end of the Boer war, and the questions of sales and refunds to contractors in South Arfina, a Royal Commission was set up to investigate the whole of tbe enoumstaucee. The report of the commission has just been published io the form of a Blue Book, 'i'ho commission consisted of Mr Justice Far.well, Sir George Taubmau-Goldie, Field Marshal Sir George White, Sir Francis Mowatt, and Mr ?amuel Morley. Its instructions were to investigate the allegations made by the* Butler Committee, to report upon all tbe circumstances connected with oontraote, sales and refunds, and upon any previous transactions throwing light upon the matter, and also upon tbe responsibility of the persons concerned, whether in Britain or South Africa. The commission reports that it found no evidence of actual corruption on the part of i offloers, with three or four exceptions affecting officers in very subordinate positions and involving trifling sums of money. Nevertheless the offiae of the Director of Supplies was oonduoted with inexcusable carelessness and extraordinary inI eptitude, aud the administration of the office of the Pay Department Showed a deplorable want of intelligence. Tiie commissioners speak in high terms of the capacity} and knowledge of the South African situation possessed by Colonel Morgan, Director of Supplies at Pretoria, but dealing with the genesis of Meyer and Company and Colonel Morgan's part in its inoeptiou and its securing apparently overwhelming influence with the t Supplies Department, the commissioners severely censure Colonel Morgan, and that his arrangement with Mflyer or the employment of Morgan (Colonel Morgan's brother) was contrary to the spirit and letter of the King's regulations. The commission's report goes on to say that Colonel Morgan can hardly complain if his conduot in theae matters gave rise to grave suspicion, but the commissioners find no evidence of corruption'. They declare that Colonel Morgan's sdocessors were guilty of irresponsibility, indifference to the public interest, and "want of intelligence, mentioning particularly in relation to the purchase and sale of supplies by Colonel flifjweli, Captain Limond, and Major Walton. While'* Lord Kitchener regarded the system of local oontraots as an experiment. General Lyttelton.the commissioners say, regarded them as permanent. General Lyttelton cannot entirely escape responsibility for neglecting to watch the progress and working' of the system. The cothmissioners estimate that the Home taxpayers' preventable loss during twenty two ir onths after peace was proclaimed amounted to between three-quarters of a million and a million and a quarter. -