Lop Randolph Churchill was extremely analytical in his speech on certain votes on the Navy Estimates. His object was to expose the waste of public money in the dockyards, and he did so chiefly by contrasting the extra cost of ships built in the dockyards with those which have been constructed by contract. So far his task was an easy one, for he brute in private yards had cost much proved by many instances that ships
less than those which had been turned out of Her Majesty's. The Constance built in Chatham dockyard cost £114,856 for her hull and £36,000 for her engines, making a total of £150,896, or £90.9.3 per ton for her hull and £15.3.4 per ton for her engines. The Carysfort, which was built in Glasgow, cost £98,480 for her hull and for her engines £29,948, oF £77.10.10 per ton for her hull and £13.5.0 per ton for her engines. Not withstanding these striking facts, the Constance and the Carysfort appear in the estimates as costing each £123,000, thus making it appear that dockyard jand contract built ships cost the same. The First Lord, although he was pointedly asked by Lord Randolph Churchill to explain this, did not do so. Other ships were mentioned by the Hatter speaker which had cost much more to build in the dockyards than their consorts had wider private contract. He animadverted strongly on the immense increase on the original estimate for building Her Majesty's ships in the dockyards, and also onthe fact that in almost every instance when a_vessel had been handed over as complete, whether from the public yards or from private finns, large additional suns were expended upon them, Thus, the Leander, build in 1885-6 was completed for £191,000 but in the same year much the worse for the treaties. £8,947 was spent upon her. Lord He trusts to the prestige he acquired in Randolph Churchill further instanced the Franco-Chinese war, and to the the Carysfort which was redocked and rose-coloured reports of the pacification refitted at great cost at Malta, although of Formosa which he sends periodically the captain had said that she did not to Peking, to secure him fro any re-require a penny to be spent upon her. pri mands from the high officials; even Many ships were also mentioned on at this date a reputation for barbarian-which about half their original cost had quelling is no drawback to an official's been spent on repairs. The inference advancement. He probably knows per-{to be drawn is that in the dockyards, at fectly well, and if not, he has foreign advisers to tell him, that it is a far ery home and abroad, it is, at least at times, necessary for the authorities to find from Tai-wan Fu to the Legations, and work for the men who have agreements that the foreign Ministers no longer running, and it would seem that this court the opportunity for a war-dance at leads to a very considerable waste of the Tsung-li Yamen which an unsatis-money in the public establishments both fied outrage, like this, affords, As long at home and abroad. Of course it hap-as it is unsatisfied, it is a danger to pens at times when orders are scarce every foreign trader in China, and our that private builders have to keep their
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