Received Feb, 22, at 1.20 a.m. LONDON, Feb. 21. In the House of- Lords Lord Car rington moved for the production of all papers in connection with the tenders for the -army meat contract. He denounced the •enormous profits of. the last contract. Lord Raglan said the Govenuipti the

lowest out oi 55 tenders for the new i contract, The currency, was for Ave 1 years. Lord Lansdownc said all were agreed that after the colonies' splen- ] did behaviour no efforts ought to bo , spared to givethem a chance of freely competing, and such an opportunity was not denied. Bergl's .statements of the profits of a rival company re quired to be taken with a grain of salt. The Public Accounts Commit tee (of the House of Commons de clared that the last contract was justifiable in view of the difficulty of supply and uncertainty of events, though it would have been better if there had been separate contracts for live and frozen meat. Bergl s con tract stood unaltered, but monthly inspection reports at intervals had been arranged in order to secure the honorable observance of the contrac tors' promise to deal with the colo nies as far as possible. The Admi ralty contract for the supply of meat to the shipsinSimons Bay si{d, com pared with Bergl's s£d, with distri bution. It would be impolitic to produce the tenders, and immediate inquiry would be improper and m i convenient. The motion was nega i tived without a division.
AUSTRALIAN NEWS.
