§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether the Lee-Enfield rifles recently issued were previously tested; and, if so, will he say where the tests were made; and will he state who is responsible for having passed weapons with faulty backsights.
§ * MR. WYNDHAMThe Lee-Enfield rifles recently issued had been inspected at the places of manufacture, Enfield, Birmingham, and London. The sighting was approved in 1895 by the then Inspector-General of Ordnance on the advice of the late Director-General of Ordnance Factories, after trials carried out by the officers who were at the time Superintendent of the Small Arms Factory and Commandant of the School of Musketry respectively, and on the recommendation of the Chief Inspector of Small Arms. A strict inquiry into the origin of the error in the sighting of these rifles has been instituted.
§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War if he will state the number of Lee-Enfield rifles which have been manufactured since its adoption and the number issued; also whether the rifles bear any mark or stamp indicating the place of manufacture; and if they do not, will he consider the advisability of adopting a distinctive mark in future?
§ * MR. WYNDHAMThe number of Lee-Enfield rifles manufactured is about 350,000, and that issued about 100,000. They all bear the marks referred to.