§ Brigadier-General COLVINasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether, in estimating the cost of producing cordite at Gretna, the maintenance charges had been taken into consideration; and whether any reliable comparison between the cost of producing cordite at Waltham Abbey and Gretna had been obtained?
Mr. HOPEIn estimating the cost of manufacture of cordite at His Majesty's Factory, Gretna, the maintenance charges were taken into account. The relative costs of producing cordite at Gretna and Waltham Abbey were considered about the time of the Armistice, but are not strictly comparable, as the processes undertaken at each factory are different. It will be appreciated that Gretna is a modern factory, possessing a modern layout, and can therefore produce cordite at a lower cost than Waltham Abbey.
§ Brigadier-General COLVINasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether, in view of the closing of the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey, an estimate of the cost of transferring the workmen and their families from there to Gretna has been arrived at?
Mr. HOPENo estimate of the cost of transferring workmen and their families from Waltham Abbey and Gretna can be arrived at until the number of men to be transferred and the number required for meeting the peace requirements for cordite at Gretna have been determined.