§ MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the construction and ordnance departments of the Admiralty arid the dockyards each have their own representatives for the inspection of contract work; whether any other departments have separate representatives; and what has been the total number of separate individuals engaged during the whole period of building in inspecting work of all kinds, whether hull, engines, guns, or armour in connection with the four sister armoured cruisers "Achilles," "Cochrane," "Natal," and "Black Prince," built by contract.
§ MR. LAMBERTThe Answer to the first and second parts of the Question is in the affirmative. As regards the last part, the construction of any one of the cruisers referred to involves the placing of so large a number of separate orders for the various materials employed that a considerable amount of clerical labour would be necessary even to determine with accuracy the number of persons engaged on their inspection.