§ MR. BELLAIRSI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the fact that, whereas the War Office in the charges for the ordnance factories include proportionate charges for the payments in respect of contributions to local authorities in lieu of rates, the Admiralty, in the work of building and repairing ships at the Royal dockyards, do not allow for these payments; and whether the Treasury will take steps to request the Admiralty to conform to the business methods of the War Office, in view of the fact that the payments for local rates are in both cases borne by Civil Service Estimates, and there exists no valid reason why the same methods should not be pursued.
§ MR. LAMBERTContributions in aid of local rates in respect of the ordnance factories are not borne by Civil Service Votes. The amount is repaid as an appropriation in aid. No such repayment is made in respect of the dockyards.