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There is an old saying "That bachelors' wives and old maids' children are perfect." Perfect likewise, are the guns of the critics, and for the same reason, they have no existence; therefore they have never been fired, and therefore they have never failed.
Just one matter before concluding my remarks about Big Guns and their dimensions, and that is the question of money.
The knowledge needed to make improvements in our guns (so as to keep pace with other nations, as we must, and so as to render them trustworthy), can only be derived from experiment, with the actual guns, projectiles, and armour-plates themselves. Experiments on models will not suffice. To prevent delay in manufacture there ought to be provision for carrying out experiments rapidly. Such provision does not exist. Shoebury is the only important place we possess, and here we enjoy but the partial use; I say partial, for it is occupied as a school of instruction; and, moreover, owing to the increase in the size of our guns, the provisions that sufficed in years gone by, do not suffice now. There is wanted a considerable expenditure for the acquisition of a proper extension of the experimental ground.
Again, experiments are delayed because the estimates are cut down, and there is no money available.
Some of you may think experiments should cost very little; I will ask those who are under that impression, to suspend their judgment, till they consider merely the following instances.
I have told you that hard-faced armour has led to the desire to revert to steel projectiles. I have told you the difficulties there are in producing them, so that they are neither too soft and become deformed, nor are too brittle and are broken up. You will agree with me, I presume, that it would not, having these facts in view, be proper to accept these projectiles without trial, to issue them to the services, and to find when the day of attack came, that they had failed against the enemy's armour-plate. Well, there can be no test short of actually firing against an armour-plate, such as that with which they would have to contend.
