§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will ascertain from the contractors what is the earliest date by which they would undertake to complete the various contracts at Rosyth, provided they were permitted to set to work at once and to use the utmost diligence; and what extra expenditure, if any, would be involved by such acceleration of the work.
§ MR. MCKENNAAfter full consideration of the best method of expediting the completion of the work, we came to the conclusion that the best course was to fix a reasonable time for the contract, and to offer a substantial bonus for earlier completion; and tenders have been invited on this basis. Work cannot be commenced until all tenders have been received and duly considered.
§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERCan the right hon. Gentleman answer the portion of my Question in which I ask if he will ask the contractors what is the earliest date by which they would undertake to complete the various works, under the circumstances set forth in the Question.
§ MR. MCKENNAThere are no contractors. Tenders have been invited, but have not yet been received.
§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTEROf course there are no contractors; perhaps I have been misunderstood. Will you ask the contractors when they send in their 858 tenders the Question I have put on the Paper?
§ MR. MCKENNANo, Sir; the Admiralty conceives that the best course would be to fix the time for the completion and then to offer the contractors a substantial bonus for hastening the work.
§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether between the date when the construction of a naval base at Rosyth was first accepted in principle and the present time, the imperial dockyard and Messrs. Krupp's shipbuilding works at Kiel have been completed, and the important works at Wilhelmshaven commenced and completed.
§ MR. MCKENNAThe works now owned by Messrs. Krupp and Kiel dockyard have been in existence for many years past—since 1865 and 1878 respectively. Wilhelmshaven dockyard was begun in 1901, and it is understood that it is not yet completed.
§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that he is entirely misinformed upon both these points? Is it not a fact that these works were already commenced in 1902–03 and have been finished quite recently? I saw them myself; I am speaking of the great Krupp dockyard at Kiel and the new Government dockyard there.
§ MR. MCKENNAI think the information supplied to me which I have given in my answer is quite correct.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERrose to put a further Question—
§ * MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman has given the best information he can and he cannot do more than that.