THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE, in rising to call attention to the present system of training boys for the Navy, and to urge upon Her Majesty's Ministers the desirability of having more sea-going training vessels, said, from the merchant service of the country, enormous as it was, they could get but very few men fit for the naval service. There were 240,000 seamen in the merchant service, yet there was great difficulty in getting men from that service to enter the Navy. The best men would not enter; and though there were plenty of men who would be ready to enter the service, those were the men the Navy would not have. The great mass of 1380 them were below the class of men that we wanted. The pay in the merchant service was generally higher during their active service than that of the Navy; but the pay of the Navy was in the long run better, because the men got pensions. Another reason why serviceable men did not enter the Navy from the merchant service was that they did not like the restraint of the service or the necessary discipline. Another objection to merchant seamen as men to man the Navy was that they would not be of any use in fighting until they were trained to the great guns and small arms. They might be trained, but they did not like it. Formerly the merchant service was of great value for manning the Navy. At that time every merchant shipowner was bound to take apprentices, who served five or seven years, and then the Navy got trained seamen. Merchant ships did not take apprentices now. Then, merchant ships were always at sea as long as they could get any cargo; but ships of the Navy were not constantly at sea. At one time they had compulsory power to draw men from the merchant service for the Navy, but at present they had not that power. The system at present in use for manning the Navy was to take boys from 15 to 16½ years old. These boys were drafted into training ships, and by an agreement signed by their parents they were bound for 10 years after the age of 18. These boys cost the country a considerable sum of money—as much, he believed, as £100 each—they underwent training in every duty that could be expected from them—and when under the superintendence of Captain Wilson, did that officer the greatest credit. After the first 12 months' training the boys were fit to do any duty that could be required of sailors. But they were not sent to sea—they were kept in harbour, where they acquired bad habits, and learnt nothing more—they were not sea-boys, nor sea-men—it was out of the question to make a seaman out of a boy that had never been on blue water. In 1873 a Vote was taken for 2,615 boys—but of these 261 deserted, and there were now between 1,000 and 1,500 waiting to be drafted to sea. It was obvious that since we could no longer depend upon the merchant service for manning the Navy, we must train more boys, and the Government should appoint 1381 more training ships. The boys, too, should he trained by active service at sea, and for that purpose he thought the Government should appoint especial seagoing vessels—two frigates, he thought, might be most usefully appropriated to that special service. The question was a very serious one, and encouragement should he given to merchant shipowners to take boys, and by paying them (the owners) some agreed upon sum, a good class of men might he got for the Navy. The Government should take very great care that this country could boast of better trained seamen than those of any other maritime Power. In a great naval war they should endeavour to have the best class of seamen. He trusted, in conclusion, that Her Majesty's Government would deem his suggestions deserving of consideration.
§ THE EARL OF MALMESBURYsaid, that any observations with respect to our Navy which fell from one who bore the honoured name of Maitland would meet with the best attention of the House. He entirely concurred with the noble Earl in the desire that the boys in our naval service should be trained to the highest possible degree of perfection. He would explain what the Government proposed to do. As things at present stood, there were five training-ships at different ports where those boys were trained for a period of six months. They were then sent on hoard tenders for a certain number of days, not generally exceeding six weeks; because if a longer time were allowed, the tenders could not supply the number of boys required for the sea service. These tenders were serviceable for the purpose only for six months of the year—from April to October—for it was not deemed safe to send them to sea in the winter months manned principally by boys. The number of boys so trained at one time was 490; but inasmuch as there was a new batch every six weeks, instruction was given to 2,839, every boy being in training for at least 36 days. The number of boys which had been entered for the last five years was, he might add, 14,195, or an average of 2,839 a-year. After the boys attained the age of 18 years they were sent to sea in sea-going ships; but as the ships could not take all the boys that were ready, many of them contracted bad habits by hanging about the ports, or deserted; so that the 1382 country, after spending a considerable sum of money on their education, lost their services. The attention of the Admiralty had, however, been directed to that state of things, and they proposed to add one cruiser to the five brigs now employed, and to send the first-class boys to sea during the six winter months. He hoped that the noble Lord would be satisfied with these arrangements.
LORD ELPHINSTONEwas understood to express his approval of the course proposed on the part of the Government. He could confirm, from his own experience, the statement of the noble Earl, that very few men entered the Navy from the merchant service.