MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty in what way has the supply of practice ammunition, which was stated on 23rd April to have been recently revised, been affected by that revision; and is the allowance for heavy guns of eight rounds per gun per quarter the same allowance as was made thirty years ago, when the Navy had only muzzle-loading guns with a rate of fire of one round per minute as against the ten rounds per minute of the present day.
(Answered by Mr. Arnold-Forster.) The following alterations have been recently made in the regulations governing the supply of ammunition for practice purposes—1. The allowance to guns mounted on tops of turrets and barbettes was increased in March, 1899, from ten rounds per gun a quarter to forty rounds. 2. The ammunition for aiming rifle practice from heavy guns was increased at the same date from sixty to 100 rounds a quarter. 3. The following additional ammunition is now allowed to every man qualifying for the ratings of acting second captain of gun and acting qualified gunner.—Acting qualified gunner: aiming rifle, twenty rounds each; light quick firing gun, five rounds each; heavy gun, five rounds each; acting second captain of gun: aiming rifle, twenty rounds each; heavy gun at towing target, ten rounds each. This alteration was made in April last. 4. There is also an additional allowance 670 of 200 rounds per quarter of Morris Tube ammunition for use with the deflection teacher for each captain and second captain of gun. This alteration was made in February last. 5. The new prize firing regulations, now about to be issued, provide for turret and barbette guns, carrying out prize firing by the method of independent firing instead of, as heretofore, firing singly. This will increase the expenditure of ammunition under more practical conditions. 6. Firing of lyddite shell in addition to the ordinary allowance of ammunition has recently been introduced. With regard to the latter part of the Question, the proportion of eight pounds a quarter is the same for breech-loading guns and heavy quick-firing guns as it was for muzzle-loading guns, but there is an important exception with regard to the allowance for prize firing. Under the old regulations any excess of ammunition expended when prize-firing was deducted from the following quarterly allowance, whereas there is now no limit to the number of rounds that a gun fires when prize firing; and however many rounds in excess of the normal allowance are expended, the usual quarterly allowance is fired next quarter without any deduction. Provision is thus made for the exercise of the utmost rapidity of tire that can be attained.