§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCK-ALLANasked the Secretary of State for War, What steps have been taken to carry out the official recommendations recently made for the Volunteer Naval and Torpedo Defence of the Wear and the Tees, and the intermediate coast line of South-East Durham?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN)Establishments for submarine mining are in process of construction on the Tees and Tyne, Stores and vessels have been purchased for the submarine mining defences of 881 those rivers, and also of the Wear. In addition to the defence establishments, negotiations are in progress for the purchase at Middlesbrough of a site on which to erect buildings where instruction can be given in submarine mining. On the Tyne a local Volunteer Force for submarine mining has been raised, and has already been once trained in conjunction with a section of the coast battalion of Royal Engineers.