24. Sir R. Younǵasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what are the monetary allowances granted to ordinary and able- 2188 bodied seamen and to engine-room artificers to meet the extra expenses incurred by those ratings stationed at Seletar Base, near Singapore; and whether he can say what remuneration is paid to natives signed on in the ships as seamen and stokers?
Mr. CooperNaval ratings stationed at Seletar Base are granted a colonial allowance of 20 cents a day. It is only recently that native ratings have been entered at Singapore, and I have no certain information of the rate of pay which they are receiving.
§ Sir R. YoungDoes the right hon. Gentleman think that £160 a year for a warrant officer, which is approximately £3 a week makes an allowance of three shillings a week fair to seamen and artificers to cover the extra expense incurred by them?
§ Mr. KirkwoodIs it not the case that engineers on merchantmen have four times the wages of engineers in the British Navy at Singapore?