§ MR. BELLAIRSI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will explain why Woolwich Arsenal is getting five-sixths of the orders for gun mountings as against two-sixths last year; and whether, in making this allocation, he has taken into consideration the loss of employment to private traders, and the fact that their foreign orders are in large measure dependent on the extent to which they receive orders from the Government.
§ MR. HALDANEIf the Question refers to naval gun mountings it should be addressed to my right hon. friend. The only land service gun mountings to be made this year are a few siege carriages, and the balance of the field gun carriages allocated to the Ordnance factories in the proportion of one-third as compared with two-thirds to the trade.
§ MR. CROOKSCan the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to arrange with the Admiralty to get the amount of work for Woolwich which is mentioned in the Question?
§ MR. HALDANEThe Admiralty have given me as much as they can. They have their own arrangements with certain private establishments, which they have to keep up for the exigencies of war. The allocation of orders is in the nature of a retainer for that purpose.
§ MR. BELLAIRSIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the allocation of orders to Woolwich has been attributed by the hon. Member for Woolwich to "the way they were worrying the authorities"—that is, to the political pressure brought to bear on the Government?
§ MR. CROOKSMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he will inform the hon. Member for Lynn Regis that there 612 is all the difference in the world between ordinary work and gun mountings?
§ MR. HALDANEI am not a postman.