§ Mr. ASHLEYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that an average sum of £40,815 is to be spent this year upon the construction of the German destroyers of the current programme, and that the whole of the German vessels of the 1907-8 programme are in commission, while the earliest of the English are not expected to be delivered 1011 till October, he will increase the expenditure on the British destroyers of this year's programme above the figure of £5,450 each at which it now stands.
§ Mr. McKENNAThe Admiralty are not in a position to make any statement on this subject at present.
§ Mr. ASHLEYMay I take it that there is no intention of increasing the Estimate, and that the Admiralty are going to spend one-eighth of what the Germans are going to spend on destroyers?
§ Mr. McKENNANo. I have stated that I am not in a position to make a statement on the subject.