§ 8. Captain Viscount CURZONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when it is proposed to publish the official account of the Battle of Jutland; and what it is proposed to publish?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe date for publication depends on the time taken to produce and check certain diagrams. Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the printing of these diagrams by the first firm employed, it has recently been found necessary to employ a second firm. It is, therefore, not possible to forecast the exact date of completion. The letter press is complete. The publication will be a plain statement, in narrative form, of all the available facts, and their relation to each other, which bear upon the action known as the Battle of Jutland. Lord Jellicoe has criticised some of the statements in the narrative, and his criticisms are being published in the form of an appendix to the narrative, with explanatory notes by the Admiralty giving briefly the reasons why the conclusions published in the narrative differ from the opinions expressed by Lord Jellicoe.
§ Viscount CURZONAre we to understand that the printing troubles have accounted for the last three or four years' delay in the publication of the Report, and may we take it that there will now be no undue delay in publishing this document?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe Noble Lord will understand that I am not in possession of the details of this matter, but I will pass his question on to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty.
§ Commander EYRES-MONSELLWho represents the Admiralty in the House?
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs he playing a golf match?
§ Captain BRASSAs the letterpress is already in existence, can that be published without the diagrams?