THE AMOKURA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 869, 15 July 1910, Page 6

THE AMOKURA.

NO LARGER SHIE AVAILABLE. The Government, according to the Hon* J. A. Millar, litis already approached the Imperial authorities ill regard.'to obtaining a larger and more -suitable vessel for a training-ship' to supersede the Amokura. The Admiralty replied that it had 110 wooden ships which are : healthy, enough .to satisfy modern hygienic, requirements, aud that iron and steel ships, of- which .modern navies are composed, arc not suitable in at all_ the' same degree for housing and training boys. The only available ships, at all suitable, which thw Admiralty had were some sec-ond-clnss cruisers of the Apollo class, and it would cost about <£14,000 to repair and make one of tliese lit for boys, when it would not lie possible to accommodate more than 115 boys, in addition to a suitable crew. The Admiralty added that in the case of the Koyal Navy ' it has been found necessary to build barracks on shore to acconlmodate the seamen-boys. " Ten oi twelve training-sliips which 'were full a few years ago have, except one which is temporarily retained, all been abandoned, and tlieir complements transferred to the shore, and the same process is gradually going on in the case, of ships lent for. training establishments for. the mercantile .marine. So far, the Ainokura, which accommodates sixty boys, lias been able to take all that have applied for admission, ami in no cn.se have applicants had to wait long for vacancies on the ship. .Should it. .be found in future that more boys offering than the ship can take, the Min-" ister thinks the best plan would bo to build barracks on shore for the training which can be given there, and. kee'if the Amokura or other small ship to takp them to sea in batches for sea-train, inu.