§ COLONEL HUGHES-HALLETT (Rochester)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether it is true, as reported in the American press, that the Secretary of the Navy of the United States recently stated in Congress that, owing to the influence of Messieurs. W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell, and Company (Limited), an agent of the Navy Department of the United States Government had been granted access to the confidential designs of the ships of the British Navy at the Admiralty, in London; and, whether the price paid by the said agent to Messieurs. Armstrong, Mitchell, and Company, for a ship's design, was not £5,000?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON) (Middlesex, Ealing)I have to reply to the first part of the Question that the statement referred to is not true. The Naval Attaché of the United States Legation has, on application to the Secretary of the Admiralty, received the sanction of the Board to certain information in connection with the construction of some of Her Majesty's ships being furnished to him, as has been done in the case of the Naval Attachés of other countries on their official application. The Admiralty has no information as to the business transactions of Messrs. Armstrong, Mitchell, and Co. with the Government of the United States. As this is not the first Question put to me imputing either breach of trust or improper conduct to Admiralty officials, I hope that before any further charges of the same kind are made the Member putting the Question will take the trouble of ascertaining whether there is reasonable ground for assuming that there is any truth in the allegations with which he associates his name.