§ MR. MARJORIBANKS (Berwickshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the cost of magazine rifles made by contract is correctly stated in the letter from the War Office to the Under Secretary for India, dated 27th June, 1890, namely— 249
The full price of the rifle is £5 12s. 6d., made up as follows: contract price, £5 9s.; butt and fore end (supplied to the contractors free by the War Office), 10½d. and 1s. 7½d. respectively; cost of extra view of certain components by War Office during manufacture of rifle, 1s.; total, £5 12s. 6d. (Note.—The original contract price was £5 10s., it was reduced to £5 9s. on account of extra view.) Accordingly, the total price payable by you for each rifle is £5 12s. 6d., as follows: to the Company, £2 14s. 6d.; to the War Office, £2 18s.; total, £5 12s. 6d;whether the contract price for bayonets and scabbards is 13s. and 2s. 2½d. respectively; and what is the estimated cost of bayonets and scabbards made in the Government factories?
§ *MR. E. STANHOPEThe prices at that time are accurately stated in the Question; but since the letter in which they occur was written, some small savings have been effected as regards parts of the magazine rifle. The last balance sheet of the Ordnance Factories shows the cost of sword bayonets as 12s., and of scabbards as 3s. 8d., but it is believed that the two together are now made for about 14s. 3d.