§ 26. Sir Cooper Rawsonasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give consideration to the case of officers and men of the merchant service who served in the European War in cargo steamers and were in most cases exposed to the dangers of submarine attack, some of whom have several years' experience as navigators and hold master's certificates, who are now seeking appointments for which ex-service men only are eligible and being barred because they were not officially serving in the Royal Navy and the Reserves; and will he give consideration to some relaxation of the conditions which cause these men to be passed over and afford to them the same privileges as applicants who served in the Royal Navy or the Reserves?
Mr. CooperIf my hon. Friend will let me have details of the applicants he has in mind and the particular appointments for which they have applied, I will see that the matter is investigated.
§ Sir C. RawsonCannot my right hon. Friend adopt the suggestion as a general principle?
Mr. CooperThe suggestion has often been acted on in the past, but the question whether we should adopt the general principle is one on which I should not be prepared to make a statement at present.