Interview with Mr Paul Cave
A representative of the ‘Rushden Echo’ waited upon Mr Paul Cave with respect to the evidence given above. Mr Cave said that the brief reports in the morning papers gave a very misleading idea of what took place before the Select Committee, and Messrs Cave courted the fullest investigation.
“When Mr Purcell saw the samples of Army boots at our London office,” said Mr Cave, “he was shown boots ranging from 4s. to about 7s. 3d. He selected a boot at 6s. 9½d. He ordered verbally 300 pairs and afterwards another 250 pairs. Mr Purcell never said or suggested that the boots were required for War contracts. At the completion of the first order shipping instructions were asked for, clearly showing that we understood the order to be a shipping order. The boots were supplied to time, being taken from stock orders in work, because, as the time was limited, it would have been impossible to have made the boots. Messrs Samuel Brothers admitted before the Committee that the boots supplied by Messrs Cave and Sons Ltd. were
Equal to Sample
and of good value. In their evidence Messrs Samuel Brothers admitted that not having all the sizes of boots required for their purposes, they put in some boots out of stock, these boots having been in their place about 18 months.”
“It is conclusive,” continued Mr Cave, “that these were the boots that went wrong, and not those we made. The boots that we supplied to Messrs Samuel have been made by us for many years and in no single instance has there been a complaint.
When the ambulance men went out from Rushden for the front, Messrs Cave supplied each of the men from their factory with a pair of these very boots and a pair of canvas shoes. Sergeant Knight, who returned to Rushden last Monday, has brought with him the pair of boots given to him. After four months’ wear they are in splendid condition and have needed no repairs.
Note: the day this report appeared in the paper there was another report about Paul Cave going to South Africa
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