§ MR. GOURLEYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if he can state how many officers, engineers, artificers, gunners, blue jackets, non-combatant men, and marines are engaged in the troopship service at Home and Abroad; and whether, seeing that so many new vessels are coming forward, requiring an additional number of officers and men, the Admiralty intend abandoning the existing dilatory, uncomfortable, and expensive system for that of hired transports?
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONThe total number of officers and men employed, is— in Imperial troopships, 706; in Indian troopships, 1,042. I will give the hon. Member the details of ratings. The present troopship system is neither dilatory, uncomfortable, or expensive, as it compares favourably in all these respects with the class of ships employed as hired transports. There is no intention of abandoning the use of Government vessels for the movements of troops, supplemented to a considerable extent by hired transports.