§ MR. SAMPSON LLOYDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether, inasmuch as additional pay is offered (by the Circular of 27th May, 1879) to executive officers who qualify for and perform, navigating duties, it is intended to grant similar emoluments to the old navigating officers who have performed those duties for years past, so as to place the latter on an equality with executive officers in pay and position; and, if not, whether the Admiralty will offer some increased facilities to the old navigating officers to retire from a position which many of them felt to be humiliating?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHSir, so far as pay is concerned, navigating lieutenants have an advantage over lieutenants on the executive list who undertake navigating duties. I entertain, a high sense of the value of the services of the navigating officers of the Fleet, and I should be exceedingly sorry to hear that any of them supposed their position to be a humiliating one. I am not aware of any grounds for this feeling. As a matter of fact, the pay and position of these officers have been improved in recent years; but I do not see my way to offer additional inducements for retirement, as the existing scale is, in my judgment, a liberal one.