§ MR. HUDSON KEARLEY (Devonport)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the skilled shipwrights of the Navy are at present considerably below their proper strength, although special efforts have been made during the past few months at all the naval ports to induce entries; would he state what has been the result of these efforts; and whether, in consequence of the scarcity, a circular has recently been issued ordering the entry of a number of carpenters' crews, although that class was abolished a few years since?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTYThe Question of the hon. Member alludes, of course, to shipwrights who go on board ship, and has nothing to do with shipwrights employed in the dockyards. The large dimensions of the increase in the Navy have naturally occasioned an increased demand for almost every branch of the personnal, and here and then; in very special branches it very naturally is difficult to bring up the numbers at once to the desired strength. In the case of the shipwrights, the temporary difficulty is in part due to the general and striking activity in the shipbuilding trade. It has been considered desirable to enter a limited number of carpenters' crews while shipwrights are not being entered in satisfactory numbers, and orders have been issued accordingly. The rating of carpenters' crews, although allowed to lapse in May, was re-established in June, 1891.