§ MR. WILLIAM ALLAN (Gateshead)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will state what has been the total cost of the repairs and alterations to the new Royal yacht up to this date; and whether all the original wood lining of cabins and berths is to be removed; if so, what material is to be substituted, and at what cost.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe cost of the repairs and alterations of the new Royal yacht up to 1st December, 1900, is £22,831. The accident which occurred to her has indirectly caused greater expenditure than this by prolonging the time that the ship has been under construction, but it would be impossible to assess the exact amount. In certain 353 places where defects in the non-inflammable wood have appeared, and it is feared that a repetition of these defects might affect costly decorations, ordinary wood will be substituted, but no decision has yet been taken as to the remainder.