§ MR. WILLIAM ABRAHAM (Limerick, W.)asked the Surveyor General of the Ordnance, Whether he is aware that a promise was given on 7th August 1885, by the then Surveyor General of the Ordnance (Mr. Guy Dawnay), to the effect that, if the work of making up Army clothing can be done cheaper in Limerick than at the Government Establishment in Pimlico, "Limerick will not suffer at all;" whether this undertaking has not been carried out, though frequent representations have been made to the War Office on the matter; and, whether he will lay upon the Table of 1325 the House a Copy of the Minute made by Mr. Childers, when Secretary of State for War, after his visit to Limerick, with reference to the Army clothing factory in that city, and generally on the subject of Army clothing contracts; also Copy of a Letter addressed to the Secretary of State for War by Lord Carnarvon, when Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, having special reference to the desirability of giving continuous employment to the Army clothing factory in Limerick?
§ THE SURVEYOR GENERAL (Mr. NORTHCOTE) (Exeter), in reply, said, that the answer given on the date mentioned by Mr. Guy Dawnay was correctly quoted from Hansard; but it must be taken in connection with another answer given by him on the same evening. There would be an opportunity of raising the question that evening in Committee of Supply; and if it suited the hon. Gentleman's convenience, it would be better that he (Mr. Northcote) should make a full explanation later on as to the views of the Department. He might say now, however, that orders had been given during 1886 to the Auxiliary Forces Company for 153,500 garments, or nearly 500 garments daily. The Pimlico factory had, since August, 1885, been reduced by 334 hands, and was considerably below its authorized normal strength. With regard to the last part of the hon. Member's Question, he had to say that it was not usual to lay Departmental Minutes of this kind upon the Table of the House; and the Secretary of State did not think there was any occasion to depart from the usual practice.
§ MR. JOHN O'CONNOR (Tipperary, S.)gave Notice that in consequence of the reply of the hon. Gentleman he would raise the whole question in Committee of Supply.