§ MR. MACFARLANEI beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if, as it is probable that an increase may become necessary to the number of sailors required to man the Navy, the Government will now consider the utility of placing a training ship at Oban, in the centre of the large fishing population of the High-lands?
SIR U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORTHI can only repeat the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on the 14th of February last—that this question will be taken into consideration if necessity should arise for increasing the number of boys' training ships.
§ MR. MACFARLANEWould it not be a means of securing more recruits for the Navy to distribute the receiving vessels over all parts of the Kingdom and not confine them to any one part, even if a sufficient number of men were obtained under the present system?
SIR U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORTHAs my hon. Friend is probably aware, there is already one training ship in Scotland. I am afraid it would be impossible to move any training ships now stationed at other ports.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANMay I remind the Secretary to the Admiralty that there is no training ship whatever in Ireland?
SIR U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORTHI have several times intimated that if there is a question of adding to the number of training ships, the claims of Ireland will be fully considered.