§ Sir JOHN BENNasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the circular letter 104, 2nd September, 1907 (N. 7032/1907), has prejudiced the position of the stoker petty officer, who is now frequently called upon to undertake the duties of chief stoker without any extra remuneration; whether he is aware that, in such cases as H.M.S. "Vulcan," the original complement of 7 chief stokers and 12 stoker petty officers has been replaced by a complement of 3 chief stokers and 16 stoker petty officers; and whether he will take steps to remedy this alleged grievance?
§ Mr. McKENNAIn answer to the first part of the question, I am not aware that the position of the stoker petty officer has been in any way prejudiced by his being called upon to take charge of small boiler rooms for which duty he should be quite competent under the new system of training. As regards the "Vulcan," her original complement when attached to the Mediterranean fleet included 7 chief stokers and 12 stoker petty officers. Her complement as parent ship for submarines is entirely different and the numbers of chief stokers and stoker petty officers are 4 and 11 respectively. The answer to the third part of the question is in the negative—no cause for grievance being recognised.