§ SIR THOMAS DEWAR (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if he will state how many of His Majesty's ships are now fitted with the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy, and the amount paid to the Marconi Company for the service.
(Answered by Mr. Arnold-Forster.) All battleships and a very large number of cruisers are fitted either with the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy or with modifications of that system. As I stated in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Caithness on the 28th April,† the present average expenditure upon wireless telegraphy is about £20,000 per annum, a considerable portion of this amount being paid to the Marconi Company. An agreement with the Marconi Company is now being concluded, and a use of wireless telegraphy throughout the service will be greatly extended in the future.