HC Deb 12 January 1916 vol 77 c1576
3. Commander BELLAIRS

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of the opinion expressed by the then Board of Admiralty that the "Canopus" would have given Admiral Cradock's squadron a decided superiority, and the additional statement in their communication of 5th November, 1914, that they could not accept the accounts then published because the "Canopus" had been specially sent out to strengthen that squadron, whether he can, now that fourteen months have elapsed, state the distance by sea between the "Good Hope" and the "Canopus" at the time when Von Spee's squadron was sighted by the "Good Hope"?

Dr. MACNAMARA

There would be no public object served by an attempt to deal with this naval incident in a piecemeal fashion. When it is dealt with, it must be dealt with as a whole. But the time for such a general survey has not yet arrived.