§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)On behalf of the honourable Member for the St. Patrick Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can state the exact amount paid to the French Belleville Company for each set of Belleville boilers placed in or ordered for the ships of Her Majesty's Navy, and also the total amount of royalty paid by the Admiralty or the contractors to the Admiralty to the French Belleville Company for Belleville boilers supplied to or ordered for Her Majesty's ships?
THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. W. E. MACARTNET, Antrim, N.)The total amount of the royalties paid to or to be paid to the Belleville Company is £146,690. I cannot state within the limits of an answer to a Question across the floor of the House the exact amount paid on each set of Belleville boilers.
§ MR. ALLAN (Gateshead)Is the right honourable Gentleman aware that the money paid for these boilers far exceeds what it would cost to make ordinary boilers?