§ 4 and 5. Mr. HOHLERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether his attention has been called to the fact that he is offering to the boy naval shipwrights, now training in His Majesty's dockyards, new contracts of apprenticeships requiring them to elect within fourteen days whether they will accept them or not; whether the substance of the offer is that they must either abandon the right secured to them under their existing contracts of entering His Majesty's dockyards as established shipwrights at the expiration of their first period of engagement, the time served in the Navy to count towards superannuation, or that they will not receive whilst serving in the Navy the new rates of pay granted to naval shipwrights in November last, and that whilst serving in the Navy all promotion above shipwright will be denied to them; and whether, having regard to the fact that the age of these boys varies from thirteen and a half to eighteen years, 1911 he will at least extend the period of election till they have served the term of their indentures and one year at sea; and (2) whether there is any clause in the indentures of apprenticeship of the boy naval shipwrights that can be construed as denying to them the right to receive the same rates of pay and the same opportunity of promotion on entering the Navy as the general body of naval shipwrights; and whether, in the circumstances, he will consider whether he ought to impose conditions on the contracts of infants which would deny to them the above rights?
Mr. LAMBERT (Civil Lord of the Admiralty)Boys entered for training as naval shipwrights do not sign indentures of apprenticeship but the ordinary continuous service engagement, by which they undertake to serve in the Royal Navy for twelve years' continuous and general service from the age of eighteen in addition to whatever period may be necessary till they attain that age. Their parents sign a form consenting to the above. The boys have been required to decide whether they wish to remain on the system under which they entered or accept the new system and rates of pay, surrendering the option of return to the dockyard, and are now being required to make their choice within fourteen days. The Admiralty are, however, prepared to consider applications from those who change their minds, if made in writing before they complete one year at sea. Promotion in the Navy is subject to such conditions as may be laid down by the Admiralty from time to time.