CANTEEN SCANDAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 114, 15 May 1914, Page 7

CANTEEN SCANDAL

111 <» TRIAL BEGUN AT THE OLD BAILEY EXPECTED TO LAST A FOETNIGHT (By Telegraph.— Press Association.— Copyright.) (Received May 15, 1 p.m.) LONDON, 14th May. The trial of the accused persons in connection with the Army canteen contracts ecandals — in which six quartermasters, two sergeants, a major, and eight civilians are charged that in February, 1903, and on other occasions they conspired that money should corruptly be given, as an Inducement to favour Lipton's contracts— has commenced at the Old Bailey. It is expected to last a fortnight. [The following announcement was is' sued from the War Office in November last i— • '*As tho result of the special in* vestigatiou which has been conducted recently, With a View to teetihg the accuracy of allegations made in various qU&rters as to the existence of a system of bribery and corruption in regard to the conduct of canteens in the Army, information has been laid before the Army Council, in Consequence of which tho Council has given orders, in the first instance, for the convening of a general court-martial, before which charges will be preferred -agaiiist the following :—: — The Hon. Major and Quartermaster F. Walker, Gtiarde' Depot ; the Hon. Cap* tain and Quartermaster J. Fowlee, Ist Battalion Irish Guards j the Hon. Lieu» tenant and Quartermaster G. R. Burton, 4th Hussars; the Hon. Lieutenant and Quartermaster T. Potter, 3rd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ; the Hon. Lieutenant and •Quartermaster W» J. Armstrong, Ist Battalion Nqrfolk Re* giment." At the enquiry, Mr. Muir, counsel for the prosecution, said keen rivalry had existed between the differents firms to secure contracts, for which a rental of from £17 to £20 monthly was paid to supply the messes of 100 men. The duty of making complaints hs to the quality of the provisions rested with the quartermasters and the ser-geaolte-major. Hence arose a system of organised and perßistent bribery, initiated by the conductors of Lipton's military fcanteetts, The chief witness would be Sawyer, a former employee of Liptoh's, •who Was instructed By one Minto, formerly head of Lipton's military department, in 1903, to secure the influence nf the non-commissioned officers at cheaply ac possible. The canteen business grew rapidly Under Sawyer, who later on wag personally entrusted with the payments', making it. plain that the heads of th* firm desired to conceal their responsibility, and Were prepared tt> repudiate thoir subordinates if anything were revealed, In self-protection the sUbordi i nates' obtained written authority, and when Sawyer wanted bribes he had to go to Minto or Catisfield "(the general manager). Many letters were read, detailing the payments to the quartermasters. Sawyer, in fc letter, stated that Quartermaster Armstrong had damoured for £50 to secure a Contract for the Ist Battalion at Aldershot, but Sawyer had recommended £20. Pegley, inspector of the Colchester branch, wrote io the company Saying that four of the sergeantsmajor had made up their minds ta stop at nothing to get fresh contractors unless they were well paid. )