Mr. WEST RUSSELLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the arrangements that at present exist for the recruitment of naval ratings from the ports on the North-East coast; what has been the number of ratings recruited from these ports during each of the past five years; and what has been the total number of ratings recruited for the Navy during the corresponding period?
1309W
Mr. ALEXANDERA recruiting station for the Royal Navy is situated at Newcastle-on-Tyne. It is not possible to state the numbers of candidates who have been entered during each of the past five years from the ports on the North-East coast, but the numbers entered from Northumberland and Durham, and the total numbers entered in the Royal Navy during those years are as follow:
— Entered from Durham and Northumberland. Total Number Entered. 1924–25 313 7,427 1925–26 352 7,233 1926–27 547 7,628 1927–28 271 4,646 1928–29 137 3,139 1929–30 105 2,658