§ MR. BARNES (Glasgow, Blackfriars)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty why boy artificers are being trained at such great cost whilst the number of applicants for the rating of engine-room artificer is in excess of requirements, and can be obtained at no cost to the taxpayers fully equipped for the duties likely to devlove upon them
(Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) The system of boy artificers was established by the Admiralty of 1903 in order to obtain an alternative source of supply to that by direct entry from the shore, which is fluctuating and uncertain. The two systems were meant to run concurrently, and more than half the number required next year will be entered direct from the shore.