§ MR. GOURLEY (Sunderland)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty how many anchors of obsolete pattern are at present housed in Anchor Lane, at Portsmouth Dockyard; how many of similar type are in store at other Dockyards, at home and abroad; and whether it is intended to take advantage of the recent advance in the iron market to dispose of all useless and obsolete anchors now in stock at Portsmouth or elsewhere, replacing them with stockless anchors similar to those now being used in the Mercantile Marine?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Lord G. HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingIt is hardly correct to describe the anchors mentioned in the question as useless and obsolete; for, though anchors of a newer pattern will be largely introduced in modern ships, the anchors of the older patterns are required as spare for the large number of ships now supplied with these patterns and for moorings, for which purpose a considerable stock has to be maintained.