§ MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Return of Fleets (Great Britain and Foreign Countries) is the only official document purporting to give the relative naval strength of countries that is issued; whether he is aware that an undertaking was given to the House, on 8th November, 1906, that the Admiralty were desirous that the Return should give an accurate, complete, and faithful picture of the strength of the Navy; and whether, seeing that the Return issued on
† See (4) Debates, clxxvi., 287.857 2nd July includes nine battleships and fourteen cruisers which are officially excluded from our fighting strength, the Admiralty will grant an accurate Return of relative fighting strength.
§ MR. COWAN (Surrey, Guildford)At the same time may I ask the Secretary to the Admiralty why a number of battleships and cruisers, which we have ceased to maintain for three years past, are included in the Return of Fleets (Great Britain and Foreign Countries).
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (MR. EDMUND ROBERTSON, Dundee)This Return, as stated in the explanatory notes, includes all vessels of each Navy which retain their armaments and have not yet been placed on the sale list. It would be misleading to adopt a more rigid standard in the case of the British Navy than is adopted by foreign Powers in their official publications from which the information relating to foreign fleets is taken. This Return, coupled with the information given in the Navy list, appears to the Admiralty to afford as accurate a statement of the strength of the Navy as can be given without entering into technical details which, in the interest of the public service, must be withheld.
§ MR. BELLAIRSsaid that, as the Return was stated to include all ships which retained their armaments and had not boon placed on the sale list, he would like to know why it did not include H.M.S. "Victory," the flagship of Nelson, which had not surrendered her armaments and had not been placed on the sale list?
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONThe question is perfectly ridiculous.
§ MR. BELLAIRSasked why the right hon. Gentleman had not carried out his promise to give an accurate, complete, and faithful picture of the strength of the Navy?
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONThe Admiralty have carried out their promise that an accurate and faithful Return should be made.