RETURNS MOVED FOR. (Hansard, 20 July 1863)

§ MR. FERRAND
said, be wished to move for Returns of the names, ages, and periods of service in detail, of the two constructors of the navy, the master shipwrights, and the assistant master shipwrights of Her Majesty's Royal dockyards; and of the age and length of service of Mr. E. J. Reed, who has been nominated for the post of chief constructor of the navy; giving the date of his entry as an apprentice, and as supernumerary draughtsman of Her Majesty's dockyard, Sheerness; the date when he left the service, and the reason thereof; together with any information as to the employment of Mr. Reed since he left Her Majesty's service. His 1139 object in moving for these Returns was to show to the country the facts connected with the appointment of Mr. Reed—an appointment that had given the greatest dissatisfaction throughout all the dockyards, seeing that Mr. Reed was some few years ago an artisan in the dockyard at 30s. a week, and he had been placed over the heads of at least twenty persons, also well qualified for the office, and his salary was now £900 a year. Mr. Reed had never constructed a ship, and had shown no special qualification for the post to which he had been appointed. The Government Blight defeat his Motion, but he (Mr. Ferrand) gave notice, that if it were defeated, he would bring it on again early next Session, and press it until he had beaten the Admiralty.

§ LORD CLARENCE PAGET
said, he must repudiate the accusation that the Admiralty were committing an act of jobbery. He would give a statement of facts, showing that no injustice to old servants of the Crown was intended by the Duke of Somerset in appointing Mr. Reed, but he must resist the Return as unnecessary. Mr. Reed had been employed for two years, and the Controller of the Navy had urged upon the First Lord his appointment to this office. The desire was to get the best man to superintend the expenditure of vast sums for which the Admiralty were responsible, and Mr. Reed had shown himself highly qualified for the office. The object of the hon. Member was not to get information, but to use intemperate language towards the Duke of Somerset, and he hoped the House would support the Government in resisting the Motion. The average of the ages of the officers to whom the Motion of the hon. Gentleman referred was fifty-four years.

§ SIR JAMES ELPHINSTONE
said, the appointment of Mr. Reed was one of the grossest jobs that had ever disgraced the Admiralty. There were many more competent men than Mr. Reed in the dockyard who were much younger than the average the noble Lord had stated, He should therefore call upon his hon. Friend to divide the House.

§ SIR JOHN HAY
said, there was an undertaking by the Government on a former occasion not to appoint Mr. Reed without further discussion in that House.

§ MR. CONINGHAM
said, he wished to know whether Mr. Reed was not an advocate of a mixture of wood and iron in constructing ships.