MR. JEFFERYS (Hants, Basingstoke)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is a fact that 49 Naval Cadets were sent out from Portsmouth to the Mediterranean last January in the storeship Humber, which only had proper accommodation for 15; and whether the boys had to sleep in hammocks slung in the hold of the ship, without any proper ventilation or sanitary 433 convenience; and whether the health of any of the boys has suffered in consequence of this overcrowding?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON, Middlesex, Ealing)The facts of the case are simply these. It was necessary last month to send out 49 Naval Cadets to the Mediterranean, and as it was considered desirable that so large a number of young Cadets should be sent out in one of Her Majesty's ships, where they would be under proper supervision, rather than in a packet, passage was ordered for them in the Humber, the only vessel then available. There are cabins for only 10 superior officers on board the Humber, but there was other accommodation which, in the opinion of the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, was suitable for these young officers. No ship's hold was used, as suggested in the question, and the main deck, where the hammocks were slung, was that usually appropriated for the berthing, messing, and living of 120 seamen, and is well ventilated and roomy. It is true that the messing accommodation was somewhat deficient, but the difficulty was met by arranging for the cadets to take their meals in divisions. The Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth himself inspected the ship, and was satisfied with the arrangements that were made. No Report has been received as to any case of sickness among the cadets who were sent out in the Humber.