§ 10. Mr. PEARSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of warships on order or building on the Clyde, on the Tyne, and at Barrow; and the estimated value of the work in each area, respectively?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLThe Tyne is building, or has been allocated, the hulls and machinery of six ships and the machinery of three; the Clyde has the hulls and machinery of 20 ships and the machinery of three; Barrow has the hulls and machinery of six and the hulls of two. The value of the orders placed on the Tyne is £2,500,000; the corresponding figures for the Clyde and Barrow are £5,600,000 and £2,600,000 respectively.
§ Mr. PEARSONIs my right hon. Friend aware that unemployment is highest on the Tyne, and will he bear that fact in mind in placing further contracts?
Viscountess ASTORDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think it is dangerous to have these ships built by private enterprise, and should they not be built in national dockyards?
§ Mr. THORNEAre the contracts for these ships open to competition or are they allocated?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLMy answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Pearson) and the hon. Member for Plaistow (Mr. Thorne) is that we have to be almost entirely guided by prices and have to take the lowest tender. In answer to the Noble Lady, most certainly not; we are largely dependent on private firms.
§ Mr. McKEAGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the very pressing need on the Tyneside, and will he take steps to ensure that the Tyne receives an even more generous allocation of such orders as may be available?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLI fully sympathise with the hon. Member, and I wish we had more ships to go round all the yards. I have to accept the lowest tender, and I have to be guided in that way.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODIs it not the case that, comparatively speaking, the Clyde has 10 shipyards for every one in Newcastle and Barrow?
§ 11. Sir CHARLES CAYZERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can state to what extent the present cruiser construction programme is affected by the London Naval Treaty?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLI assume that my hon. Friend refers to the programme for 1934. The total replacement tonnage which can be laid down in 1934, 1935 and 1936 is limited to the outstanding tonnage over-age on the 31st December, 1936, together with the tonnage becoming over-age in 1937, 1938 and 1939. The gun calibre is limited to 6.1 inch.