§ 1. Mr. GEORGE TERRELLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Royal Commission on Oil Fuel or any expert Committee of the Admiralty have reported against the construction of capital ships designed to consume oil fuel only?
§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. Churchill)I cannot undertake to answer questions about the Reports of Royal Commissions or Admiralty Departmental Committees which are of a confidential nature further than to say in general terms that nothing in the policy which the Board of Admiralty have pursued is in conflict with the recommendations which have been received.
§ 2. Mr. GEORGE TERRELLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will lay upon the Table, for the information of Members, a copy of the Admiralty specification for oil fuel submitted to contractors in the year 1910, showing thereon the modifications and amendments thereof with the dates of same down to the present time?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe information which the hon. Member desires shall be laid upon the Table of the House.
4. Mr. FREDERICK HALL (Dulwich)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if any of the new battleships in course of being laid down for the navies of Germany, Austria, Italy, or France are being designed for the use of oil fuel?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIt has been the practice for some years in the navies referred to to carry a certain proportion of oil fuel in their battleships, but there is no information regarding those in course of being laid down. Three American battleships are designed to burn oil fuel only—"Nevada" and "Oklahoma," laid down in 1912, "Pennsylvania," laid down in 1913. It was stated in "Le Yacht," 18th January, 1913, that the Russian battleship, "Ekaterina II.," was to burn oil only, but no official confirmation has been received.