ROYAL NAVAL RESERVES. (Hansard, 8 June 1910)

§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORD
Will the right hon. Gentleman tell me if he has got a report yet on the short-service men. There was to be a report in regard to them, and will he let the Committee know what the report is.

§ Mr. McKENNA
It is entirely a confidential report, and therefore I cannot say anything about it.

§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORD
Then I will only congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on the large increase of the Fleet, and ask him whether he can tell the Committee how many of the short-service men are joining it?

§ Mr. McKENNA
I can find out, and I will answer a question upon the subject.

§ Mr. GIBSON BOWLES
Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will be good enough to explain the recent history of the Royal Naval Reserve. I have always taken a great interest in that service, and I observe that there is a considerable decrease, and I rather think an increasing decrease, in its numbers. I am far from saying it is not a sufficient number, but when you have to keep an actually created Reserve in being it is rather a serious thing to interfere with it unless you are going to make it better. The only thing that I can see for replacing the Royal Naval Reserve is the Royal Naval Volunteers, which have not justified their existence. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will tell us something which will tend to justify that decrease. They consist of seafaring men, the majority of whom, I believe, will compare as seamen with most of the men in the Fleet. They are real practical sailors. I therefore cannot but regard with some regret the decrease in the number of the Naval Reserve, and I rather hope the right hon. Gentleman will explain and justify it. I look with no great complacency upon the increase in the Royal Naval Volunteers. In my opinion they neither are, nor can be, efficient substitutes for the Royal Naval Reserves.

§ Mr. McKENNA
The point is an important one. We maintain a certain number of Reserves made up partly of the Royal Fleet Reserve and partly of the Royal Naval Reserve. It is true that there has of late years been a steady decline in the number of the Royal Naval Reserves, but that decline has been more than compensated for by the increase in the Royal Fleet Reserve. If the question was put to any experienced naval officer 877 as to whether it is or is not desirable to maintain the Royal Fleet Reserve rather than the Royal Naval Reserve, there could only be one answer. The Royal Fleet Reserve consists of the very best men trained in the Fleet. The Royal Naval Reserve has decreased partly, though not altogether, owing to the fact that much more stringent regulations have been adopted with regard to their training. We desire to make the Royal Naval Reserve as efficient as possible, and for that purpose they are trained afloat. The result has been no doubt a slight decrease in their numbers, but that has been more than made up by the increase in the Fleet Reserve, and if you take the two branches together our numbers are now greater than they have been heretofore. I hope the Committee will accept the view of the Admiralty that our present position in regard to the reserves is satisfactory. The Volunteer Reserves are very few in number. They amount altogether to 4,400. The largest station is in London. There is another at Newcastle, another at Glasgow, and one at Bristol, but the whole Service is not a very large one. I should certainly desire, so far as we can, to cultivate the spirit of patriotism, and in a very large degree the efficiency which is obtained in our Volunteer Reserves, and I certainly cannot hold out any intention on our part of reducing the number of the Volunteer Reserves. On the contrary, I am very glad to see the high degree of efficiency that the Volunteer Reserve have obtained. I have just received particulars with regard to other questions which the Noble Lord (Lord Charles Beresford) put to me. About 500 seamen of the Royal Fleet Reserve are short service men. With regard to the sick bay staff, that was one of the questions raised by the Committee, and I hope very soon to be able to give the Noble Lord a comprehensive answer.

§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORD
Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration what I brought before his notice before as to letting the blacksmith artificers of the ships join the Fleet Reserves? I know there is a difficulty about it, but it is a very important point: to have in reserve ratings, of which there are only a few. For instance, if I took out a ship to-morrow I should only have one plumber, one carpenter's plumber, and perhaps two engineer's plumbers, though I should want five or six plumbers. It is imperative that these ratings should be allowed to join the Fleet Reserves in time of war.

§ Mr. McKENNA
I will certainly look into the point. In fact, I am familiar with it. We have, of course, men of the same class in the Fleet Reserve from the dockyards, but I will consider further the point raised by the Noble Lord.