§ MR. MATHER (Lancashire, S. E., Gorton)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will enlarge the scope of the instruction to the Committee of eminent engineers which he has appointed to examine and report on the construction of boilers for the Navy, in the following direction, namely, to conduct on land a series of trials with a boiler worked with forced draught, and constructed so as to be similar and equal as to design, materials, and workmanship to the best boilers now used in the Navy, with the view of ascertaining the efficiency and maximum power of endurance of the same; to conduct on land a similar series of trials with a boiler or boiler embodying all the improvements that may be recommended by the Special Committee, in order that these may be tasted under the greatest possible stress to which a boiler can be subjected at full racing speed; and to exhaust, by practical tests on land, all other questions that have arisen out of the shortcomings of the present boilers when worked with forced draught; and whether he is aware that similar exhaustive trials to those here suggested were made to establish the best design and construction of the so called "Lancashire" boilers, before their present high efficiency and durability were obtained?
§ LORD G. HAMILTONI am obliged to the hon. Member for his suggestion to put marine boilers to the same practical test which, in his own experience, he found to be of value in testing the Lancashire boilers. The propose in question, with other, will be referred to the Committee for con- 47 sideration, and any experiments they recommend will, as far as practicable, be carried out.