§ 99. Brigadier Clarkeasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will give an assurance that priority will be given to refitting ships of Her Majesty's Navy in Her Majesty's Dockyards.
§ Commander NobleYes.
§ 100. Brigadier Clarkeasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how the cost of refitting Her Majesty's ships in Her Majesty's Dockyards compares with that in private yards on the Clyde.
§ Commander NobleNo exact comparison can be made between the relative costs of refitting work in the Royal Dockyards and private shipyards on the Clyde—or elsewhere in the country. To such extent as comparison is possible—and it is to be emphasised that no two refitting jobs are alike and conditions vary between dockyard and dockyard, and between the private yards themselves—the costs in the Royal yards are rather lower, as indeed they should be because the primary task of these yards is the repair of warships whereas the private yards are concerned more with merchant ships.