MR. MURRAY MACDONALDI beg to ask the. Prime Minister if he will arrange to take Vote 8 of the Navy Estimates before the meeting of the Hague Conference.
§ Mr. BELLAIRSAt the same time may I ask the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the fact that one-third of the armoured tonnage of this years' naval programme will be laid down, or otherwise, according to the measure of success which attends the proposals of the Government for the arrest of armaments; whether he is aware that the Admiralty and our delegates to the Hague Conference possess no authentic information as to the armaments of the six large armoured vessels Germany has commenced or is to lay down this year; and whether, in view of the present uncertainty, he will arrange for the discussion of Vote 8, Navy Estimates, to be taken after the results of the Hague Conference are known.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Sir H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, Stirling Burghs)We will take Vote 8 as usual at a late period of the session so as to give the House the opportunity of discussing the programme with such emendation and revision as the experience of several months may suggest. That is the usual practice; it is a convenient one; and I see no reason why it should be departed from.