MR. CRAIG-SELLAR (Lanarkshire, Partick)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Where, and by whom, the examinations in seamanship of Midshipmen for the rank of Lieutenants are conducted; what is the system pursued by the examiners; and what steps are taken to secure uniformity in the granting of certificates; and, whether, looking to the fact that the "class" awarded has a serious effect upon the future careers of the officers, the recommendation of the Committee on the Education of Naval Executive Officers (1885), that the seamanship examination should be for a "pass" certificate only, and not for a "class," as at present, is to be carried out in future?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON) (Middlesex, Ealing)The seamanship examinations are conducted by three Captains, who are nominatad by the Commander in-Chief on each Station, whenever an officer's time for examination has arrived. There is a form supplied to the examining officers detailing the various points for examination, and showing the full number of marks to be awarded for each subject. This form is universal throughout the Service, and the examinations are everywhere conducted on the same principles. It is impossible to obtain absolute uniformity in any series of examinations; but it is believed that the system in force insures, as far as is possible, even results. It is true that the Committee on the education of Naval Executive Officers recommended a "pass" examination in seamanship; but they did not propose to abolish the "class" examination in that subject, but merely to defer it till a later period. An experiment was tried for some years of establishing at Portsmouth one set of 230 examining officers for the whole Service; but it was found to be unsatisfactory, and was abandoned, and the previous system was reverted to, and is now in operation. The manner in which the Committee proposed to give effect to their recommendation concerning the seamanship examination was found to be so impracticable that it has not been adopted; but the Admiralty have called upon the Admirals in command of the Mediterranean and Channel Squadrons to report in what way, in their opinion, the present examination may be improved upon, and their Reports, when received, will be carefully considered.