§ 113. Mr. Keenanasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware of the un satisfactory conditions under which naval ratings travel on Italian cruisers in the Mediterranean; that in the cruiser "Guiseppe Garibaldi," which sailed from Malta on 1st December last, there was overcrowding, lack of water, no washing facilities, bad sanitation and insufficient storage space for kits; and if he will give instructions to discontinue the use of this kind of transport.
§ Mr. AlexanderOwing to the lack of suitable British shipping, it was necessary for a time to make use of Italian cruisers for trooping in the Mediterranean. With the reduction of drafting commitments, and the arrival of additional British trooping frigates, their use has already been discontinued. It was realised that conditions on board these cruisers would be inferior to those normally enjoyed by the Royal Navy, and use was made of their high speed to reduce time on passage to the minimum. The maximum trooping capacity of the "Guiseppe Garibaldi" was limited to 400 British officers and ratings for whom special mess decks were reserved. On the voyage referred to in the Question, she carried 15 officers, 17 chief and petty officers, and 214 ratings only.