The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-09
ARMY SANDAL lE< ENGLAND The s1 s1,reasury LOOted Of
 Thousands. CECIL RHODES NVOLV WE'D
Frauds in Purchase of Sup
 plies for Troops.
MT. Frederick the Secretary of the War ofice, Must Stand the Bruut of the Storm of
 Indignation.

London. Feb. s.-The apparent incom- petence, and, 1t is claimed, possible dis honesty which permeate the purchasing departments of the British army, as re- vealed this week in Parliament, have caused a public agitation that augurs badly for the War office.
 Judging from recent and promised dis closures, scarcely any of the supplies for the army in South Africa were secured on business principles. Speculation con- tractors are now known to have made hundreds of thousands of pounds by re- selling contracts.
 The opposition vainly endeavored to get details of the new contract of the supply in the House of Commons with the view of ascertaining If saving over the for mer methods will really be effected. The Government successfully avoided answer ing, but the Associated Press under- stands that the contract in question was first resold at a10.0Oo and then at 840.000 while Cecil Rhodes and the Debeers group handed over f2o0,000 and thus finally se- cured the privilege of supplying the troops in South Africa with fresh meat
 These figures are likely to Unpublished here soon. and when known will doubt less add fuel to the fire of public indig- nation which threatens to center around the Secretary of War, MT. Frederick. as viciously as it did around Lord Lans- downe, when the latter was sponsor for the early blunders of the war. A dozen or more committees of investigation are now sitting or are in process of forma- tion, but as The Saturday Review says: These are only too often synonymous of oblivion"
 The fact remains" adds The Saturday Review, that We have been swindled on a very large scale'
 While these stringent criticisms of the War Office are being publicly aired, there is proceeding beneath the surface revolt which threatens to be of still greater importance. The leading authori- ues of the volunteers, including many of the commanders of the best known regf- ments, several of them being titled per sons and nearly all wealthy, are holding frequent meetings to decide on the best methods of defying MT Broderick's new volunteer regulations.
 The committee which Mir Frederick appointed to hear the grievances aggra- vated matters. The commanders of the leading regiments had previously formed themselves into deputatiOn to wait on Mir. Frederick, and he temporarily de- clined to see them; but the Secretary for War stole march on the members of the deuputation by announcing in the House of Commons that he had appoint ed committee of his own in which none of the deputation was included. His &C., ton created intense feeling among the members of the original deputation, who privately declare that the new volunteer regulations and the "dead-head commit tee were introduced for the sole pur- pose of making conseription possible.
 The Colonels of the London regiments said to a representative of the Associ- ated Press: We know MT. Brodrick wants conscription. though perhaps in a modified form. If his ideas win the day, the volunteers will gradually cease to be an effective force and will thereby supply the War Offlce with its strongest argument in favor of compulsory mil- tary service or the enforcement of the old ballot laws. Rather than see that come about. we intend to break up our regiments. I have a letter from dis tinguished nobleman urging me to take that course. and many other command ing officers contemplate disbanding their regiments.