THE MEAT CONTRACTS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7380, 5 February 1902, Page 2

THE MEAT CONTRACTS.

Received February 5, 1.1 a.m.

London, February 4. There was a renewed heated debate in the House of Commons over the Hungarian remounts. The Right Hon. A. J. Balfonr, Leader of the House, promised an inquiry into the question of the remounta bought for South Africa. Replying to the Earl of Carrington, Parliamentary Under-Seoretary for War, in the House of Lords, Earl Raglan said he believed that last year a proportion of Argentine beef was supplied to the soldiera, but owing to the more settled outlook Lord Kitchener had decided to widen the area of competition. Three firms had tendered, the Bergl Company being the lowest. There were no grounds for the colonial protests. Everything that could reasonably be expected had been done to encourage oolonial meat.

Earl Stanley, Financial Secretary to the War Office, states that Mr Bergl informed the War Office that a number of prominent South African firms were providing capital of half a million to work the contract.

Lord Stanley believed that- Wernher and Beit (South African capitalists) were not connected with the scheme.

Lord Raglan said that before the contract was finally clinched, and he understood before the colonial protests were received, the contractor gave a written undertaking to give Australasia preference as far as possible if the pricea were reasonable. Australasia should furnish the bulk of the requirements. Lord Carrington is pressing inquiries further.