Commons Assured of New Regulations to Be Issued London, Mar. 15.
The question of commissions or Government contracts was raised in the House of Commons today by Mr. Herbert Morrison, Labour member for South Hackney, during a debate on the Ministry of Supply.
Mr. Morrison said it was quite irregular for agents to approach manufacturers offering to secure them Government business provided commissions on business secured were paid them. Any basis of commission on the value of orders received, he asserted, was a positive incitement to get a price as high as it could be. Furthermore, Mr. Morrison declared, it was also an incitement to agents to get the placing of orders with unsuitable firms. The Labour member wanted to know whether the Ministry of Supply recognized inter-medianes.
The Minister of Supply, Mr, Edward Burgin, said he had not seen a single case in which a specific allegation had been made that a servant of the Crown had been bribed, or had offered improper advantage in connection with a Government contract.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.