§ MR. H. O. ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the Under Secretary of Stats for War, whether his attention has been called to the fact that, while the Indian Government have decided to commence the manufacture of a new field howitzer for land service with a calibre of 5.4 inches, the War Office has simultaneously sanctioned the manufacture of a field howitzer for the use of 449 the Home and Colonial Army with a calibre of 5.0 or 5.2 inches; whether he is aware that the ammunition, limber cases, and ammunition waggons for the respective guns referred to are not interchangeable; whether he will give the House an assurance that immediate steps will be taken to reconcile the difference between the India and Home Departments, and thus avoid the confusion which must arise from the simultaneous adoption of the two guns; and, whether he will state whether any person is responsible for securing uniformity of pattern in essential matters between the armament and equipments of the Indian and the Home Armies respectively, and what is the name of, and the office held by, such person?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordAn application was made in 1889 by the Government of India for a howitzer to throw a 60lb. shell. It was found that for such a shell a 5.4 calibre was necessary. The howitzer supplied for the Home and Colonial Army is a 5-in. howitzer throwing a 50lb. shell, and the ammunition and equipment are not interchangeable. The Indian Government required a special type of howitzer to form part of a siege train drawn by bullocks intended for shelling stone or mud forts, while the howitzer used for the Home and Colonial Army is required for field batteries and has necessarily to be light and drawn by horses. The two guns are intended for different purposes, and it is anticipated that for use with field batteries the Indian Government will adopt the 5-in. howitzer. The Secretary of State is strongly of opinion that the multiplication of calibres is undesirable; and care will be taken to make all arms and ammunition, whether for use at home or elsewhere, interchangeable except in cases when for local reasons a difference is inevitable. The Government of India is represented on the Ordnance Committee by whom new patterns of weapons are examined. In cases where the War Department and the India Office are unable to agree the Defence Committee of the Cabinet will be asked to decide.
MR. ARNOLD-FOSTERasked if he was to understand that the manufacture of these dissimilar guns was to be continued?
§ MR. BRODRICKsaid the manufacture if these arms commenced early in 1894. The guns were ready for issue and it was impossible to stop them.