§ Sir B. FALLEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the considerable sum of money saved each year from the provisional allowance of naval ratings by the general mess system, he will authorise this surplus to be used in increasing the messing allowance to ships' companies on foreign stations?
§ Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAMAs explained in answer to previous questions by my hon. Friend on this subject, there is no money allowance, as such, under general messing, and the question of a surplus does not therefore arise.
§ Sir B. FALLEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any exceptions have been made to the Admiralty Order making general messing compulsory in all chief and petty officers' messes on 1st January, 1929, whereby certain establishments are not included, and that His Majesty's Ship "St. Vincent" training establishment is to be excepted?
1725W
§ Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAMThe answer is in the negative. The Admiralty Order bringing chief petty officers and petty officers under the general mess system on 1st January, referred only to establishments (i.e., the three Royal Naval Barracks and "Vernon") where the system of general messing was in force for all other ratings. In His Majesty's Ship "St. Vincent," only the boys under training are victualled on the general mess system; all other ratings are, at present, on the standard ration and messing allowance system.