CORRESPONDENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2193, 24 September 1907, Page 1

CORRESPONDENCE

BRITISH SEAMANSHIP. [To tiie Editoh.] Sir, —“Despite the forebodings of pessimists, the proud boast of the Britiisber—Britannia rules the wavesis still justified by the facts of the position.” Such uro the opening remarks in your excellent article on British seamanship, contained in Saturday’s issue. But after reading the article right through, it proved to bo a panegyric on shipbuilding, and refers only in a very remote degree (ami then only by inference) to British Seamanship. The ability of the shipyards of the United Kingdom to turn out vessels of the highest class is undoubted. The facilities for construction, and the speed with which they can be built, are incomparably ahead of that of any other nation, hut the oapacity of the Kingdom to man her own marine is becoming less and less as years roll on. Read up Lloyd's latest statistics on the nationalities

of the seamen manning the British Mercantile Marine, and you, sir, without being in an.y way pessimistic, may begin to feel some qualms, as to the ability in the near future of Brt•tannia being able to rule the waves. The proportion of British seamen sailing in British bottoms is lamentably small—the Board of Trade, I believe, gives it as only of) per cent. All the British vessels trading to the East are manned entirely by Chinese, Coolies, Malays, Lascars, etc., the officers alone.being white, with a considerable percentage of foreigners amongst them; whilst British vessels sailing to Continental, American and African portg carry polyglot crows consisting of Russian Finns, Squareheads, Dagoes and all sorts of marine sweepings, our own countrymen, in our own ships being only 50 per cent, of the total complement. British seamanship and the supply of British seamen are subjects engaging the serious attention of Great Britain’s ablest statesmen, and it is to be devoutly hoped that measures may be devised whereby our own sailors may bo permitted to man and sail our own vessels, and that they may not be supplanted by aliens. The mercantile marine is not the only branch that suffers from the foreign element. The captain of .the late Queen’s yacht, the Victoria and Albeit, was Prince Leiningen, ail appointment which was, par excellence, the Blue Ribbon of the service. Then, about a year and a half or two years ago, the Admiral of a specially selected British Flying Squadron, (think of it Mr. Editor, and blush for your countrymen) was Prince Louis of Battenburg. Shades of Drake, Frobisher, Blako and Nelson 1 What is wrong with otir.. Soymours, Fairfaxes, Saumaurors, Beresfords, Rawsous, Haj’s, land a whole host of other distinguished families of the bravest of tho brave.—I am, etc.,

“GRUMMET.” September 23. [Our correspondent will be glad to learn that the former decrease in tho number of British seamen manning British vessels has been arrested in recent years and an increase lias taken place from 176,520. in 1000 to 150,492 in 1905. During 1905 the number of foreigners employed oil British vessels was 83,19 l or roughly about 30 per cent of tho whole. —Ed.] MAORIS’ FISHING RIGHTS.

[To the Editor.] Sir.—ln your special news of the 18th. inst. an item, appea red that is of very special lr.iport ill 'e inch oil, inasmuch as it has a very significant bearing on a most important industry viz. the rights of the Pakelia to catch fish in the waters of the Dominion. The Hon. Mr. Ngata in his most praiseworthy efforts to please some of his constituents is endeavoring to have the Treaty of Waitangi interpreted in a. manner that will he conducive to a wholesale abandonment of the industry by a large number of Pakehas, and consequently a very large diminution in the supply of fish to the general public in all the populous centres of tlAi Dominion. Now, sir, while not questioning the terms of the Treaty or the wording of it in any way, I think that you will coincide with me that if the lion, member succeeds in inducing the Government to accede to this most arbitrary request will be a niost unfair law to the Pakeha community. More esecially in a'district like this, where the area is limited where fish, can be obtained, and the demand increasing every succeeding year. Moreover, without, attributing any ulterior motives to the requisition it has a most suspicious flavour of ondeavoring to close the wholo of the inland waters, and a large portion of the coastal fisheries for good; for virtually the Maori claims every square yard of water whore fish abound in this fair Dominion, and, furthermore, the fish can remain there for aught lie cares,if he is obliged to use any unusual effort to secure them. —I am. etc., “EQUALITY FOR ALL,” September 23.