§ Sir R. GOWERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that only two out of the 10 heavy ships in the Atlantic Fleet are manned from Chatham, Kent, and that only two cruisers in the same fleet are so manned from Chatham; and whether he will consider the desirability of causing additional ships belonging to the Atlantic Fleet to be manned from Chatham, so that the relative number of ships so manned shall be equal to those manned from other naval dockyard towns?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe present position is that two out of the eight capital ships in commission in the Atlantic Fleet are manned from Chatham and two out of the four cruisers of the Second Cruiser Squadron. To man a larger proportion of the ships of the Atlantic Fleet from Chatham cannot conveniently be arranged owing to navigational difficulties of approach to and accommodation at the port.