§ 18. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the extra pay for shipwrights only amounts to two-thirds of a penny per day and that for this addition they are asked to give up the privilege of returning to the dockyards, which is equivalent to a sum of £31 4s. down and 4s. 6d. per week pension; and will he explain why the shipwrights are asked to give up a considerable emolument in return for what is in point of fact a much smaller amount?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe extra pay to naval shipwrights amounts, on the average, to £12.7 per man per year, or 8.35 pence per day, and the grant of the petty officer rating will result eventually in an average extra cost for pensions of £13 7s. per man per year, or 9d. per day. By remaining in the Navy they will receive, on the average, increased pay amounting to 4s. 10d. a week for the remainder of their naval service, with a prospect of a naval pension at the age of forty of approximately £52 to £55 a year. For this they give up the prospect of a Civil pension at the age of sixty of approximately £45 a year and an additional allowance of £126. It will be seen that there is no sacrifice of emoluments.
§ 9. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether he is aware that the naval shipwrights are opposed to the suggestion made that men who were trained as boy shipwrights should relinquish their claims to dockyard employment at the expiration of their first engagement as a condition of accepting the new rates of pay; what steps he proposes to take should these men come back to the yard after twelve years' service and take up their right of establishment; whether he is aware that the first return is due next October, and that in a comparatively short space of time a considerable number of shipwrights will be coming back to the yard, while in all some 700 or 800 are eligible to return; whether the return of these men will interfere with the establishment of dockyard shipwrights who have served their apprenticeship in the yard; and whether he can see his way to meet the objection raised by the naval shipwrights by granting to them the rating of chief petty officer?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAIn view of the advantage obtained by naval shipwrights who accept the new rates of pay, as explained in the reply to the hon. Gentleman's previous question, it is not considered that any ground exists for objection to the conditions attached to the acceptance of the new scheme. Any men, however, who do not accept the new rates of pay and prefer to return to dockyard employment on the expiration of their naval service, will be placed on the established list additional to the present establishment, and their return will thus not interfere with the existing prospects of establishment of dockyard shipwrights on the hired list.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the House to understand that the establishment list is to be enlarged?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAYes. If the men do not accept the new rating and go back to the dockyard, they are going on the establishment additional to the present numbers which have been agreed to by us, and therefore they will not prejudice the chances of the dockyard hands.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEWill the right hon. Gentleman ask the First Lord to make that clear on the naval estimates?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI have made it sufficiently clear this afternoon.
§ 20. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that misunderstanding prevails among the naval shipwrights as to the meaning of the second principle set out on page 6 of the statement showing the present and new rates of pay to the Royal Navy; will he explain what is meant by the statement that shipwright third class will be a leading rate, and at the expiration of one year, if satisfactory, men will be advanced to the petty officer grade of shipwright second class; and does this mean that the naval shipwrights, who are at present merely leading seamen, will be given the rating of chief petty officer?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe leading rate of shipwright third class will be confined to men who have been trained as boy shipwrights and are undergoing their first year of service in the Fleet. At the expiration of that period, if satisfactory, they will be advanced automatically to the petty officer rating of shipwright second class. The rating of chief petty officer is restricted to chief shipwrights.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the House to understand that shipwrights are not to be allowed to rank as chief potty officers?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo. The rating of chief petty officers is restricted to chief shipwrights.
§ 22. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked whether any change is contemplated in the number of skilled labourers to be attached to each gang of shipwrights in the Royal dockyards?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo change in existing arrangements is at present contemplated.
§ 23. Sir JOHN JACKSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can see his way to grant naval shipwrights the rating of chief petty officer, especially in view of the fact that such a concession would provide an additional inducement for lads of a superior class to enter the Navy?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAUnder the new scheme for naval shipwrights, all skilled shipwrights (including men who have been trained as boy shipwrights in the dockyards, and have completed one year's approved service in the Fleet) will hold the rating of petty officer, and all chief shipwrights the rating of chief petty officer. It is considered that the inducements 1652 provided by this scheme for lads of the right class to enter the Navy in this rating are sufficient.
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe petition will be answered when the details of the new rates of pay and conditions of service for naval shipwrights are communicated to the Fleet in the Circular Letter which is now in course of preparation and will be issued immediately.