THE ST. OMER DUMP.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Snt,—For some months, on behalf of the National Party, 1 have been endeavouring in Parliament to bring out the facts of the unbusinesslike methods of the Disposals Board and the Ministry of Munitions. In particular, I have tried to elicit the truth about St. Omer, and when I raised the question on the Easter adjournment I was counted out by a member of the Coalition.
The report of the Public Expenditure Committee bears out every word I have said about St. Omer, and if the report of the Committee is correct, then it is clear that the country has suffered grave loss owing to the fact that vehicles have been cold for a less price than could have been obtained. The Dis- posals Board, in its defence, states that the St. Omer dump was sold "as a dump," and that had Messrs. Levers bought the dump they would have secured the extra vehicles supplied to Messrs. Leylands.
I regret to have to say that this is clearly inaccurate; for I have seen the actual list of vehicles offered in the deal to Messrs. Lover Bros., for which they made their bid, and the list of vehicles sold to Messrs. Leylands.
I regret also to state that Parliament and the nation have been deliberately deceived by some official at the Disposals Board, as the following quotations from Hansard on June 3rd prove:- Lieutenant-Colonel Croft, to ask the Lord Privy Seal whether the sale of the St. Omer dump to Messrs. Leyland Bros. included the same schedule of vehicles as that upon which another firm was asked to bid; and, if not, whether the two bids were comparable in judging which was the best price offered."
To this Mr. Hope (Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Munitions) replied
if . The bids are in all respects comparable.'
Lieutenant-Colonel Croft: Is it not a fact that two entirely different indices of the goods sold were shown to the two competitors?
Mr. Hope : No, sir, it is not the fact."
The Committee now report that 287 extra Leyland lorries were included in the sale to Messrs. Leylands.
I further asked Mr. Hope if special transport facilities had been granted to Messrs. Leylands which were denied to Messrs. Levers, and Mr. Hope replied that no such facilities were given; yet General Long, on behalf of Messrs. Levers, has stated specifically that he was informed that no facilities would be granted to him.
The methods of the Disposals Board from its inception have been most unbusinesslike; and now that the facts are known it will be seen that when I asked leave to move the adjouru- meat of the House owing to the grave loss sustained by the State, my fears were well grounded.—I am, Sir, Lc.,
HENRY PAGE CROFT.
64 Victoria Street, S.W. 1.
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