§ MR. RUNCIMAN (Dewsbury)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what vessels are to be repaired and refitted for which £247,000 is asked in the Navy Estimates for 1904–5; what was the total first cost of each vessel; and what amount is estimated to be spent on each.
(Answered by Mr. Pretyman.) The vessels in question are the following:—First Cost (including Direct Charges and Incidental Expenditure):—"Goliath," £866,006; "Canopus," £866,516; "Argonaut," £545,756; "Crescent," £392,453; "St. George," £399,755; "Terrible," £708,619; "Highflyer," £280,182; "Rainbow," £187,740; "Pique," £188,589; "Warrior," £389,394; "Triumph," £274,121. All these vessels except the last four are already in hand, the refits having been commenced under previous programmes. In view of the special j character of the arrangement under which these repairs are being carried out, it would probably not tend to economy to publish beforehand the estimated expenditure on each ship.