Mr. T. WILSONasked the Secretary of State for War whether he can indicate the policy of his Department in connection with the building of airships; whether he is aware that, owing to the change over from war to peace conditions, numbers of workpeople are unemployed in Barrow-in-Furness; and whether he can hold out any hope of expediting the construction of airships at Barrow-in-Furness, and thus facilitate the employment of the workpeople now unemployed, and who have in the past been employed on airship construction?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI have beeen asked to answer this question. As regards the first part, I am not quite sure what information it is that my hon. Friend desires. As regards the second and third parts of the question, so far as we are concerned, Messrs. Vickers' airship shed is not large enough for the construction of rigid airships of the sizes now required by the Navy, and it is therefore impossible, under present conditions, to order further rigid airships for construction at Barrow-in-Furness.