DR. CAMEEONasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether there is any foundation for the report published in The Daily News of the 19th instant to the effect—
That discovery has just been made at the Admiralty of a deficiency amounting to £200,000 in connection with the Shipbuilding Votes;and, if so, whether it is true, as stated, that it has hitherto been the practice of the Construction Department to minimise 426 the work done by contract each year so as to ensure a balance on the Contract Vote to make good any deficiency that may arise in the Dockyard Vote?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. RITCHIE)The statement that
A discovery has just been made at the Admiralty of a deficiency amounting to £200,000 in connection with the Shipbuilding Voteis somewhat misleading. The facts are that the progress which has been made with the ships building by contract has been in advance of the Estimates made at the commencement of the year. This, I think, the House will consider a matter not of regret, but of congratulation. The result is that payments will have to be made this year to contractors of about £200,000 in excess of the amount taken for that purpose in the Estimates for the year. With reference to the second Question, I may say that, for some years past, the whole amounts inserted in the Estimates for contract work have not been so expended; but considerable sums have been used for the purchase of stores, and for Dockyard wages. In 1880–1 the saving on Contract Votes was £78,917; in 1881–2 it was £50,030; in 1882–3 it was £70,204; in 1883–4 it was £157,899; and in 1884–5 it was £47,791. Of these savings, roughly speaking, during the past five years £300,000 has been appropriated, to Dockyard wages and purchase of stores.