§ MR. BOWERMAN (Deptford)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he has received a copy of a resolution passed by the Deptford Borough Council, at its meeting held on the 3rd instant, urging the Admiralty in view of the number of unemployed workmen in the riverside districts of London to apportion a share of shipbuilding and repairing work to firms having yards in the port of London; whether such request has been considered by the Admiralty; and, if so, with what result.
§ MR. MCKENNAThe repair of warships is reserved for the royal dockyards. The question of the acceptance of the tenders which have been received for the ships of this year's programme is now under the consideration of the Board of Admiralty, but with regard to the allocation of ship-building contracts, the Admiralty are bound to take into account considerations of price and comparative excellence of work.