§ MR. RITCHIEasked the Surveyor General of the Ordnance, Whether it has hitherto been the practice of the War Office to employ private firms to manufacture a portion of the small arms required by the Department, and to dis- 1471 tribute in certain proportions among the various factories the quantity required; and, whether this year the practice has been departed from, and the whole order given to a factory in Birmingham; and, if so, would he explain why this has been done?
§ MR. BRANDThe War Department has no knowledge of any Companies or large firms engaged in the manufacture of small arms in this country except the Companies, three in number, which they have employed during recent years, one of which (the National Company) is now in liquidation. As the Department is unable to find efficient employment for two factories, they will in future deal with that one which is best situated for the economical production of arms—namely, the Birmingham factory. The Government, I may add, would obtain no advantage in the matter of price by the employment of the Companies, as the Companies do not enter into competition with each other in this respect.
§ MR. RITCHIEWill the hon. Gentleman tell me why the Government have not, as has hitherto been the case, distributed the quantity required be-between those two firms?
§ MR. BRANDThe reply to this Question would involve argument. I think the better course would be for the hon. Gentleman to wait until the Army Estimates are discussed, or else he can make a Motion himself in connection with the Estimates, when I hope to be able to show very good reasons for the course adopted.