§ MR. HICKMANasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he has received any information as to the respective behaviour of the English and American pumps that were sent to Suakim; and, if he has, if he will communicate it to the House?
THE SURVEYOR GENERAL OF ORDNANCE (Mr. WOODALL) (who replied)said: The advance on Berber having been countermanded before the landing of the pumps sent to Suakin, there was not an opportunity for testing 1545 the merits of the respective systems. Later trials made in England have, however, led to the conclusion that it is possible to obtain the results produced by the American pumps, with English apparatus which requires much less fuel.