§ MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether thirty batteries of field artillery are to be supplied with bogus quick-firers at a cost of £1,000 per battery; whether the cost of the real article would be £20,000 per battery; and, if so, what explanation is there for this discrepancy in cost; and why is not the real article supplied, seeing Parliament has voted £700,000 for this purpose.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. HALDANE, HADDINGTON)All the field batteries in the Regular Army armed with guns have been supplied with 18-pounder Q.F. guns of the latest pattern; a few batteries have not yet received the full equipment of six guns, but it will shortly be completed. There is no intention of arming the Royal Field Artillery with any other gun than that referred to above, and full provision has been made for equipping all the batteries.