A Bill to transfer the responsibilities of the expiring Ministries
of Munitions and Shipping to the Board of Trade was read a second time in the House of Commons on Monday. Captain Loseby, whose grave charges against the staff of the Ministry of Munitions are to be investigated by a special tribunal, accused the staff of corruption and declared that numerous contractors had been paid large sums on accounts which had not been verified. Mrs Hope, in reply, said that it had been found advisable for the auditors and the contractors to settle disputed accounts by bargaining instead of waiting for " a complete examination of the enormous number of documents." Lord Inverforth had settled claims for £302,000,000 by paying £109,000,000. He had realized goods to the value of £570,000,000 at a total cost of £12,000,000. Mr. Hope admitted that the headquarters staff alone of the Ministry of Munitions still numbered 2,075 persons, so that a large expenditure will continue although the Ministry is nominally to disappear.
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