NO SAILORS TO MAN THEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 231, 4 February 1911, Page 8

NO SAILORS TO MAN THEM.

WHY BATTLESHIPS ARE SCRAPPED. TEX THOUSAND ME.\ T WANTED. Considerable surprise has been expressed lately at the policy of the British Admiralty in consigning to the scrap-heap battleships which had obviously many years of useful work before them. As a matter of fact, this policy lias had to lie adopted because the fleet does not possess, at the present time, sufficient men to man these vessels as well as the Dreadnoughts and super-Dreadnoughts that are so rapidly coming into commission. A vessel like the Neptune—which is shortly to hoist its pennant as flagship of the Home Fleet—requires, in round figures, 1000 men of all ratings, practically double the complement of a battleship less than a generation a<in, and the authorities are at their wits' end to find men in sufficient numbers to satisfy the ever-growing demands of the fleet. Admiral Sir Arthur K. Wilson and his colleagues on the Board of Admiralty are unanimous in their opinion that from 13,000 to 14,000 additional men are required, and an intimation was conveyed to the Treasury, a short time ago, that this extra number would be asked for in the next Naval Estimates. The Treasury, however, immediately placed its veto on this proposal, and intimated that nothing like so large an increase could be sanctioned. Negotiations between the two departments then took place, and it was agreed that 00(10 should be the outside limit to the personnel of the Fleet asked for in the Estimates of 1011-12. The seriousness of this decision and the handicap under which the Navy is placed, can be well realised when it is stated that there is not an Admiral on the Active List at the moment who does not regard 10,000 men as the lowest possible number that should be added.

One extremely well-known sailor put] the cii.se very pithily a few days ago.! "What on earth is the good of building new Dreadnoughts," he asked, "if we have not got the men for them?" It would seem that the nation is accustomed to count keels only, and so long as it can be stated in the House of Commons that so (many ships are in commission notiung is asked about the strength of the crews, and how far they are adequate to perform the work assigned to them.

It is agreed, moreover, throughout the Service that the present system of nu-| cleus crews is in many respects a sham. The fleets manned by these would be! practically useless in time of war, until' such time as the reserves could be called; up. Some of the crews on our pre-Dread-| nought battleships and cruisers are insufficient to keep the ships in fighting 1 trim, and practically the whole of their time is taken up in routine duties, leaving but little space to drill them in the work they would be called upon to undertake in time of emergency. When the annual manoeuvres take place the naval barracks at Devonshire, Portsmouth and Sheerness, and other naval stations are denuded of men, and sailors have had to be withdrawn from hospital before today to take their places in the fleet, though manifestly far from well. Each year sees a greater number of huge vessels auded to the Navy, but no steps are taken to see that recruiting keeps pace with these.