§ Mr. ASHLEYasked whether there are now building in this country any battleships, and if so, how many, equal in gun-power, speed, and defensive armour to the most modern German type now being constructed under the German naval pro grammes of 1908 and 1909; and whether any British battleships equivalent to these will be in commission by December, 1910?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe details of the German 1908 and 1909 battleships have not been made public.
§ Mr. ASHLEYAre we to understand that the Admiralty does not know what the German battleships of those year's programmes really carry?
§ Mr. McKENNAI am unable to give the hon. Gentleman any further information.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill the right hon. Gentleman ask the Naval and Military Attaché in Berlin?
§ Mr. McKENNAYes, sir, I have asked the Naval Attaché in Berlin.