§ MR. FIRBANK (Hull, E.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, having regard to the admitted inability of his Department to complete the authorised expenditure for the year for shipbuilding, and having regard to the fact that many shipbuilding firms of high standing are without any orders at the present time, he would consider the expediency of giving some of those firms an opportunity of carrying out a portion of the authorised work, in view of the fact of the efforts which foreign Powers are 34 making at the present time to increase their naval strength.
MR. GOSCHENCertainly they will have an opportunity. There are only two or three large shipbuilding firms capable of constructing battleships or armoured cruisers, which are without Admiralty orders at the present time; all the others have large orders. These firms will have the same opportunity as others to carry out a portion of the authorised work, and I shall be very glad if they will avail themselves of it.