§ MR. T. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether Her Majesty's Government have received information to the effect that any vessels of any foreign navies are being fitted for the use of oil fuel instead of, or in addition to, coal; whether the substitution of oil fuel for coal fuel has the effect of doubling or trebling the fuel endurance of the vessel in which it is effected; when the last experiments were made by or under the supervision of the Admiralty with a view to test the relative advantages of oil fuel and coal; whether it is proposed to make any further experiments of a similar kind; and, what is the present conclusion which has been reached by 1426 the Admiralty relative to the employment of oil fuel?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. E. ROBERTSON, Dundee)Full information has been received by the Admiralty in regard to the use of oil fuel in foreign navies. The substitution of such fuel for coal does not, in the opinion of our advisers, treble or even double the fuel endurance of a vessel. The last experiments made under the supervision of Admiralty officers to test the relative values of oil and coal fuel were in 1889, and it is not at present proposed to carry out further experiments of a similar kind. The present conclusion of the Admiralty is that, on the whole, coal is to be preferred to oil fuel in Her Majesty's ships.