CAPTAIN PRICEasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether his attention has been called to the Report of Admiral Phillimore on the Naval Reserves, in which he states that there has, within 1635 the last few years, been a considerable falling off in the number of the Coast Guard "owing to the lack of candidates;" and, whether, in the opinion of the Admiralty, this lack of candidates is in any degree due to the fact that the pay and pensions of the men and officers has lately suffered a diminution as compared with those of similar rank in the Navy?
§ MR. SHAW LEFEVREThe attention of the Admiralty has been directed to the passage in the Report of Admiral Phillimore quoted by the hon. and gallant Member; but I find that at the present moment the number of men in the Coastguard is only 56 below the number actually voted—namely, 4,000, and the Admiralty are not in fear of a want of candidates for the Service sufficient to maintain this number. The pay and pensions of the Coastguard have not been reduced of late, but the pay has not been increased relatively to the pay of the seamen in the Fleet; but a large number of men give up the position of petty officers in the Fleet in order to enter the Coastguard in inferior grades; it is clear, therefore, that the Service is not an unpopular one.