"THE AMOKURA"

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 7

"THE AMOKURA"

A REPLY TO CRITICISM.

30MMANDER HOOPER INTERVIEWED. . Commandos Iloopor, of tho Government training. ship Amokura; now lying off the, Thorndon Esplanade, was. waited on/ by a ; Dominion, reporter "on, Saturday in regard to .' certain .stringent criticism made by a c'orrov. ;.' sppndent .(" Stop; ' go Astern!.") to The . Dominion , recently. Commander Iloopor frankly states, that, several of tho statements aro grossly incorrect, and he is thankful to i some i unknown person for writing Ito tho - .paper refuting'.the stateirierits made. Captain . Hooper says- that this' person stated-"From. ■; ■ what, I havo - seen of the.: way'that these boys treat their, .superiors, when 1 they meet -.them on shoro ■ tliey are not -taught strict discipline on board." Discipline is the vory-first ; . consideration on board—discipline more rigid, • ■ perhaps;, than on a British warship, and: as - Vto' theV-sfatem'ent-as' to -how,'the -boys, treat -.-I ;--their. superiors on' shore, . Coriiiria'rido'r Hooper confesses that ho doe's not know to. what tho. writer is referring; Except, for tho. in- ■: structors the only officers' aro tlie Cominan::der, .this'' Chief; Engiiieer, - and; Chief Officer. Th'o Chief Officer never leaves the ship-dur- , . ingv the-dayi ,&. .that; there,, was 'only himself (the' Commander) !■ and the Chief Engineer V-. for :the boys';t6 :irieet ashore,. arid iii neither case has there been any, want of proper re.speefc. J - ' The correspondent continued his attack by ' ' saying""Another, very, necessary attribute to -.a good citizen is cleanliness, arid from tho appearance of some of the boys when on I'-,'-' . -"shore: they-' aro,not given .much. instruction: in the .'art.'" Commander- Hooper ■ cliallenged this insinuation with a good deal of- , indignation, as it is ono of tho points ho 1 - has always prided himself upon, and upon " .which 'he has .been complimented over and over again. To ensure thorough cleanliness . , on tho parti of the boys .when going ashoro, ' , they are given, an, hour-to wash, clean their '• boots, arid get; into' their sh'oro-going clothes. , -.They are then'paraded'arid inspected-by the Chief Officer, and finally by tho Commander himself. This was no formal business. Each boy had ■ to roll up his sleeves to tho /.... elbow and. his pants to tho knee, to seo that all was clean and ship-shape.: Their necks, oars, and hands wore all closely scrutinised,-1 and woo betide tho lad who was found want- ! ■ ■ ing. - Supposing a boy; parados for shoroleavo, with-dirty hands, lie is not told to : go' arid wash them and,return ,at onco.. He. is /given, the -whole afternoon -to do it— 'in;.short, ho is deprived of his leave alto- • gctlier,- which is the severest punishment,-as, - . anyone who has . 'lived afloat knows. Even. supposing one of the boys,- after being ashore two or three 1 hours, did not look so spruce ; -as when ho left theiship, wero the officers-1 . arisweralile for that.than thi Com-; mandor- of a warship -was, answerable for i: members of his crew drinking more than was good for . them whey on shoro leavo? . The boys know; however, that thoy havo 1o - spnico up beforo: pfesenting' themsclves dri board again. - "Stop, go Astern 1" stated that lie would like.to know what ithe boys aro being trained : for.'- . If ho read > tho papers. ho would not need to ask such a questiori.' The boys aro , . being trained in seamanship, pure and sim- j pie," with-ar view to ( tho Amokura being a isourco of supply'of good, well-disciplined seameiffor the riiorcantile (or,'naval' for that: • matter) marine. : From time,.-to time tho alarm is raised at the increasing number rf V;'" foreigners .'among'^^ourrseamen;' ...Could' it to - ; V wondered -at, when' the' facilities for.' training our own were so poor?.- New Zealand was essentially, '•cpuntfy,: arid,, ybt . there, were' no institutions for , tho' training of seamen.'-until tho Amokura, was commis-. sioned. Men.' drift into seamanship; in .New. . Zealand in a maririer; gradu-. allyvpickihg' a:'mdtlicum;'of- what;- smart .;;. boys''.learn ;in a couple .'of /'yeark .on .the Amoj _ .kura... Tlie .'lads •.are, r taught ',riavigrttioi,- pri'. - v ■;that,-'it iremaiiiS'. with Mem'selves . whether ; t-fiey elect: to b'eco'riie; seamen, ;go- Still' fu'r- '..', t ; become officersj, : or quit the sea altogether. : ' ■■: '■ Commander 'Hooper - said that a good boy ; - . wns given an 'opportunity; of .learning' 1 sail, . , drill that could not bo given on a steamer; I -and: boat-drill was part, of tho ship's'rou- : - -.tine; f 1 - As 'to whether , such , trainirig is ,not .boneficial, Commander Hooper qubtes tlie ,• fact that the s Urii6n_Gompany is about, tp put - ; ' , / into cpmmission a sailing vessel for the train-of'cadetsV-drid 'also referred, to daptaiii- , Holm's recently, .published views on tho ... V question of ' boat-drifl. ~l'hat authority / stated .in ttese .coluriins that ther6-should-be somo practical test in boat-handling tn ■ , , bo gone through creditably . before issuing officers' certificates, and he advocated boat: -' stations at' tho four, centres for, that purpose'; •'This 'ideawas embodied in ; the' Amokura's . routine, and> .it is pointed put 'that, only. a ' month or two "ago the Amokura'..boys' beat a British man-o-war's crow in a race in Port .'. 'Chalmers. '• ' I■' ,