§ MAJOR RASCH (Essex, S.E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the 100 Mark II. magazine rifles will be reported on before larger quantities are manufactured; whether the 2,000 now turned out weekly are Mark I.; and whether, out of an issue of 100,000, 45,000 were returned for repairs within the year?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. E. STANHOPE, Lincolnshire, Horncastle)The present intention is that the 100 rifles of Mark II. should be reported on before others are manufactured; consequently the 2,000 a week now turned out are of Mark I. The total issue of Mark I. has been 44,500, of which, within the year, 3,720 have been returned for repair, being about 8 1.3 per cent. of the issue; but among these were included the arms exchanged for new rifles by the battalions which were ordered abroad, so that the number returned in actual need of repair was considerably under 8 per cent., and not 45 per cent., as my hon. Friend suggests.