§ MR. W. F. LAWRENCEI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—(1) what was the cost of the s.s. Ivy to the Niger Coast Protectorate; (2) whether he can state the estimate of her upkeep for the current year; (3) whether it is the case that she cannot cross the bar of the Qua I be river, and, except during the rainy season, she cannot navigate the Niger or Cross rivers; (4) whether her bottom is only wood sheathed in copper, from which fact she is likely to suffer by the least grounding, causing exposure of her timbers to the action of worms; and, (5) whether there is any place on the West Coast of Africa where such injuries if caused could be attended to?
MR. CURZONThe total cost of the Ivy, everything included, was £54,000. The estimate of up-keep, for the current year insurance, repairs, coals, officers and crew included is £8,500. The statements in the third and fourth paragraphs are substantially correct, but the ship was built for the sea, and not for the river work of the Protectorate; and the copper sheathing was specially designed for the work that she has to do. The last paragraph could better be answered by the Admiralty than by the Foreign Office.