§ Sir JOHN SPEARasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the carpenters of the Royal Navy have had no increase of pay for nearly thirty-five years; if, in consequence of dissatisfaction as to remuneration, there is an insufficiency of carpenters and shipwrights; if, during the recent manœuvres, shipwright pensioners had to be recruited from the dockyards to complete the complement of ships; and is there any prospect of an increase of pay being given those public servants before the end of this year?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe pay of carpenters and shipwrights is now under the consideration of a Departmental Committee, and their inquiry will shortly be completed. There was a slight shortage of shipwrights for the manœuvres at Devonport, and volunteers were called for from pensioners, eight ratings employed in the dockyard being embarked.