§ MR. YERBURGHI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been drawn to correspon- 1498 dence with Messrs. Armstrong, of the 23rd and 24th instant, in which they say that their offer of laying down and delivering within three years from date of order three battleships and two large cruisers still holds good, all the said ships to be delivered, complete in all details, hull, machinery, armour, guns; and if so, whether, in view of his statement that our programme is limited to what is believed to be the output of the country in armour, hull, machinery, and a vast number of accessories to be provided, he will now consider the advisability of taking advantage of Messrs. Armstrong's offer.
MR. GOSCHENThe hon. Gentleman has sent me the correspondence in question. In reply I must respectfully refer him to the answer which I gave to a similar question last week.✶ I will only repeat that we have very shortly to invite tenders for four armoured cruisers and one unarmourod cruiser, and may add that we shall have to send tenders out for the machinery of two battleships, six armoured cruiser's, and one unarmoured cruiser, and some smaller craft, representing in the aggregate 180,000 horse-power.
§ MR. YERBURGHAre these tenders part of the programme which the right hon. Gentleman said was limited by what he believed to be the output of the country?
MR. GOSCHENCertainly. It is part of the programme of the Estimates. It would be folly to go further until we know how far we can place the large orders we are now giving out.