§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that upwards of 6,000 cartridges (hard metal-covered bullets) may be fired from the Maxim gun (8 millimètre barrel), with Danish smokeless powder containing no nitroglycerine, without eroding the barrel, whilst the English Maxim gun (.303 barrel) fired with cordite powder and nickel-covered bullets has been proved to the War Office, by actual experiment, to be useless for accurate shooting after firing 2,000 cartridges; this being so, is it proposed to provide a smokeless powder which will be less destructive to the .303 regulation barrel, and to introduce a better class of steel in the manufacture of the barrel than that now in use; and whether it is the fact that a .303 barrel, after firing 2,000 rounds of cordite powder cartridges and nickel-covered bullets, showing erosion from breech to muzzle, was some time since cut in half longitudinally and furnished to the War Office, together with a Report; if so, will the Report be laid upon the Table, and the halves of the eroded barrel shown to Members?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo information has been received as to the action of Danish smokeless powder on the barrels of the Maxim gun. A private Report was received from a manufacturing company that a barrel (section of which was forwarded) has been eroded by the discharge of 2,000 cartridges of British Service pattern. This erosion, however, was attributed to the shape of the bullet and to the character of the rifling, and experiments are being made in both these directions. The erosion was not attributed to cordite, nor was any objection to its use made in the Report. The barrel was made by the firm in question from steel obtained by them. It would not be according to usual practice to lay on the Table this letter or the pieces of metal which accompanied it, as such communications between a private firm and the Department are generally of a confidential character.
§ MR. WEIRIn consequence of the very unsatisfactory answer of the right hon. Gentleman, I shall raise this question on the Estimates.