Are There No Poor ?

Southland Times, Issue 19033, 29 April 1903, Page 2

Are There No Poor ?

Per United Press Association. By Electric Telegraph— Copyright

WASTE OF GOOD VICTUALS

LONDON, April 27

The Pretoria correspondent of the Morning Post states that £120,000 worth of condemned army stores were burnt on the veldt. Officials and others present declared that at least two-thirds were absolutely sound. Twelve thousand cases of tinned meats of good brands, datetl April, U902, were stacked 12 feet high and destroyed.

MELBOURNE, April 28

Letters received froni merchants in Houili Africa sftate that the sale of surplu.s army stores disturbs the market, and that a large amount of fraud is carried on between sellers and buyers. It is iillegMl that stacks of onts nnd hay were sold to those " in tho know " inside ' being concealed quantities of spirits and other more valuabl? articles.

This method of disposing summarily of Government stores is on a par with tho Imperial Customs' system with goods* on which duty has not been paid. Many a hogshead of " rare old' port " has been run into the- sewers because its owner had passed away, or had failed to pay the duty ; and " the Queen's Pipe "is an institution where tobacco is treated the fiarup way, likewise tea. It has frequently been urged that those goods should be given to the hospitals and charities, but there we serious questions involved in such a distribution.