§ MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can state the lowest and average private tenders for lyddite shell and also the Woolwich tender; whether 604 in response to War Office requests orders have been diverted to Woolwich; and, if so, for what reason.
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONIt has not been the custom of the Admiralty, or, so far as I know, of any public department, to make known the amounts of recent tenders. No orders for lyddite have been diverted from the private trade to Woolwich. But I ought to say that, having regard to the exceptional situation, the proportion of orders for ordnance stores to be allocated to-Woolwich will be somewhat in excess of the normal.