§ MR. JOSEPH WALTON () Yorkshire, W.R., BarnsleyI beg to ask the 68 Under Secretary of State for War whether the Vickers-Maxim quick-firing gun has proved very effective in the hands of the Boers; and whether it was offered some years ago to Her Majesty's Government and refused; and if so, by whose advice.
§ *MR. WYNDHAMNo reports on the effectiveness of the Vickers-Maxim as employed by the Boers have been received at the War Office from South Africa. In regard to the second paragraph the gun was submitted for trial not for the Army, but for the Navy, to see if it would prove effective in repelling attacks of torpedo boats, and the report on it for that purpose was not favourable. I have already told the House that we are sending out a number of these guns to South Africa.