§ Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been directed to the statement made in debate in the Turkish Parliament on Saturday, 8th April, that the Turkish Government is obtaining from Messrs. Armstrong two "Dreadnoughts" without armament for £51 per ton, as against £63 per ton paid by the British Government for precisely the same type of ship; and if he will explain why this country should pay more than Turkey for such ships?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI must refer my hon. Friend to a reply I gave on 12th April to a starred question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford, and to a reply I gave to an unstarred question put by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Hammersmith on 18th April.
§ Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYDid the hon. Gentleman inquire from Messrs. Armstrong's, as they are specifically mentioned?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo.
§ Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYWill he do so?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo, I cannot do so on the facts stated.
§ Mr. ASHLEYasked what was the displacement of the first battleships of the "Dreadnought" type to be built within a contract period of two years; and what is the tonnage, actual or estimated, of the latest ships which are to be built within this period?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe first contract-built battleship of the "Dreadnought" type to be built under a contract period of two years was the "Superb," delivered on 24th May, 1909, with a displacement tonnage of 18,600 tons. The next contract-built ship coming within this category was the "Vanguard," delivered on 28th February, 1910, with a displacement tonnage of 19,250 tons. The displacement tonnage for the latest "Dreadnought" ships now building has not yet been published.
§ Mr. KELLAWAYasked (1) the cost per ton of hull, armour for hull, and machinery, of the latest Admiralty "Dreadnought" delivered from contractors? And (2) if he will state, as nearly as his information allows, what is the cost per ton of the hull and machinery of "Dreadnoughts" built in Government yards and of "Dreadnoughts" built in private yards in this country?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI can only repeat the general answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 12th April respecting the average cost per ton of "Dreadnoughts," adding that, after full consideration, I am of opinion that it would not be desirable to furnish the detailed information asked for in the present question, as such information would tend to disclose the actual weights of armour and hull respectively in our latest ships.
§ Mr. KELLAWAYIs not the information practically public as to how much is paid for ships' tonnage and armour?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo. We do give in the Estimates the aggregate cost of the armour and the hull and the aggregate weight of the armour and the hull, but if we gave the cost per ton of the armour and hull separately it would be possible by a simple mathmatical calculation to arrive at particulars with regard to the weight of the armour of the ships, which is not given.
§ Mr. KELLAWAYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state, as nearly as he is able, the cost per ton of the total displacement of Government dockyard-built "Dreadnoughts" on the one hand, and contractor-built "Dreadnoughts" on the other?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAFor the "Dreadnoughts" already completed the following are the particulars asked:—
| Tonnage. | Average cost per ton of total displacement. | |
| Dockyard-built:— | £ | |
| "Dreadnought" | 17,900 | 99.8 |
| "Bellerophon" | 18,600 | 94.8 |
| "Temeraire" | 18,600 | 93.7 |
| "St. Vincent" | 19,250 | 89.4 |
| "Collingwood" | 19,250 | 87.1 |
| Contract-built:— | ||
| "Superb" | 18,600 | 89.2 |
| "Vanguard" | 19,250 | 83.4 |
§ I have already advised my hon. Friend that any comparison instituted between the cost of dockyard-built ships on the one hand, and contract-built ships on the other, is subject to the reservation that the bases of cost are not precisely identical. This comment particularly applies to the items included under the heading of indirect charges.
§ Mr. KELLAWAYIs the hon. Gentleman aware that those figures for the contract-built ships work out at about £7 per ton more than Turkey is paying, according to the figures given in the Turkish Parliament?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI rather fancy my hon. Friend is referring to a statement as to the hull and machinery. I am referring to the total displacement.
§ Mr. KELLAWAYWill the hon. Gentleman refer again to the report of the proceedings in the Turkish Parliament? He will there find figures for the total displacement, and those figures are considerably lower than we are paying in this country.