Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-13
LIBERALS MAY FIND POLITICAL ISSUE
Imperialism" of Present Administration
Should Give Them Matter for Debate,
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS SHOW THE SCHEME
Natter is Touched Upon in Committee
Reports Now Published.
RATIoNS SOLD TO GOVERNMENT SHORT
Much Food Destroyed as Result of
MismanaRement and Poor Quality
and No Defense IL Of
fered.

LONDON, Aug. 12.-(Special Cablegram to
The Bee)-The war Stores Scandal con-
tinues to increase instead OF decrease as
has been expected Indeed the grating
appears to be reaching out for persons of
high degree. much as the Equitable Life
Assurar ce society grating scandal has
tarnisned the great names of New York.
Add to this the fact that the struggle
for control in India between Lord Kitch-
ener, representing the military despotic idea
and Lord Curzon representing what remains
of the shadowy principles of home rule
and civic government has been very bitter
and may result in the resignation of Lord
Curzon and the complete triumph of the
imperialistc idea, as personfed by Lord
Kitchener, and you have an issue upon
which the liberals can appeal to the coun-
try with some hope of winning the first
opposition issue in fact upon which they
can hope to unite all of their followers,
that has been brought to the front in
good many years.
With the recent defeat of the govern
ment, making it probable that the appeal
to the country must take place within the
next year the War Stores Scandal" is
looming up as the paramount issue. And
the agitation and Investigations the worse
are things likely to be found when finally
uncovered.
The third section of the report of the
committee of public accounts which has
just been made public possesses an especial
interest in that it covers a portion of the
ground on which the stories commits
sion is at present engaged.
Jam Cans Small,
After the v ar, states the report, 1350,S16
tins of jam were sold by the government
TO a contractor as one pound tins. 1t then
transpired that many of the tins were four
ounces short, and that the army service
corps officer who had the tins entered as
one pound tins was in complete Ignorance
as to the amount of jam contained.
The director of contracts stated in ex-
planation that in the colonies from which
the jam came they sell it al nominal weight
which is interpreted by the War Office to
mean fourteen and one-half ounces. and the
result of this shortage was that 337, ,704
pounds of jam had to be written off at
loss of 5000.
The committee considers II unfortunate
that the War cff1ce did not draw the atten-
tion of those who took the jam to the fact
that one pound tin did not necessarily con-
tain one pound of jam.
Then comes the question of the emergency
rations, 497,125 of which were supplied by
Messrs. Machonochie under a guarantee for
two years Within that time they were
! found to be unsold and destroyed. These
were replaced by a second issue of 865 900
rations but many of these were also found
to be unsound.
The verdict Of the committee is that
Messrs Machonochie sent in defective ra-
tions They specifically call attention to the
! following clause in the contract signed by
| Messrs Machonochie:
| No member Of the House of Commons
| shall be admitted to any part or share of
| this contract or to any benefit to arise
| therefrom.
with regard to the destruction at Dur
ban of over 100000 ratons worth ST. 500 OOC
the committee assigns no individual respon-
sibility, and state that the losses were due
to circumstances beyond the control of the
officers.
should Have Had Advisor,
! The members OF the committee are of the
opinion that no more unfortunate mistake
could have been committed than the omis.
sion to appoint a financial advisor to the
general commanding the field after Colonel
Armstrong, Sir Fleetwood Wilson's success.
sor had ceased 10 fill that-office.
stores
mission Lord Stanley was frank almost
to bluntness. Speaking as ex-fnancial sec,
retary to the War of1ce Lord Stanley held
his own opinions and stuck to them
Though he has long since left the wal
office no detail OF its intricate organization
puzzled him.
The commissioners first questioned hin
about the subject OF the cold storage con
tract They wanted TO know how 1t came
about that the contract went to a man wht
had not even formed a company for tn,
work that he was about to undertake. In
stantly Lord Stanley replied that he haC
fully satisfied himself that the man wal
financially sound. The contractor in uues
ton had been backed by such leaders II
finance as Cecil Rhodes and De Beers
Asked who the "shadowy person" 8,
constantly referred to in the Butler repor
might be, Lord Stanley did not shrug hi
shoulders and plead ignorance. as previous
witnesses had done. Instead he laughed
and said
We'll. l suppose you might call Cecl
Rhodes a shadowy personality, but
should certainly take his name as a guar
antee so far as solvency went"
stanley Advised sales.
Next the commissioners questioned hin
Z
sale OF stores Lord Stanley replied a
, once that he had advised such sales, bu
only in two specific instances-frst. In re
} gard to oats and, second. in regard L
bacon, both Of which were highly perish
able goods.
| Take the case of bacon" he remarke
genially, while we were discussing wit
. the authorities in South Africa how IN
stuff should be sold, the whole suppl
E would have gone bad, and as a result "
! should have suffered a great loss Natu
5 rally, l advised its prompt sale in sout
Africa for whatever price il would fetch
5 He went on 10 discuss the great conges
g tion OF stores that was said TO have arise
5 at the close Of the campaign. In this d
r rection he did not mince matters In ia
I slightest AS matter of fact Lord Kitct
0 ener expected extraordinary stores. he saiC
y The whole country was practically depend
= ent on the army for supplies. and this bs
n lief was justified at the time
h To excuse the enormous importation {