§ 23. Mr. GWYNNEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the father of A. Judge, able seaman, H.M.S. "Vectis," sent a telegram on the 7th March to the Admiralty asking them to transmit a message to him of his mother's death; that no reply was received until the 11th March, and then to the effect that the Admiralty were unable to forward private messages to naval ratings at public expense; and whether he can, in cases where relatives of naval ratings are dead or dying, make arrangements for the Admiralty to transmit the message to avoid delay, especially in cases when the whereabouts of the ship are not known to the relatives, instead of keeping the applicant waiting for a reply and then refuse the request?
§ Mr. LONGThe facts are as stated in the first and second parts of my hon. Friend's question. The Admiralty are not authorised to transmit private telegrams at the public expense in such cases, whether they affect officers or men; but the usual practice is to inform the applicant to this effect at once and to furnish the address of the ship—and it was by an oversight that this practice was not adhered to in this instance. Instructions have been given that applicants in such cases shall be replied to by telegraph in future.