THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1907. NAVAL RECRUITING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8509, 10 August 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1907. NAVAL RECRUITING.

That the personnel of the British Navy is very largely English, is the most interesting fact to be derived from this year's recruiting return. During last year the total number of | men and boys recruited was sl'ghtly over 8,000, and of these less than one thousand were obtained from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If the interest Ireland and Scotland take in the fleet is to be gauged by the number of men which they contribute to it, they must, remarks the "Naval and Military Record," be charged with displaying apathy towards the great service that protects their shores. The journal is quite concerned that Scotland should have given only 204 recruits to the Navy, and attributes this partly to the infrequent visits of warships, and partly to the fact that the naval career does not pay as well as commercial pursuits, and so "patriotism is lightly regarded north of the Tweed." This is surely unjust; we never heard it advanced seriously that lads go into the Navy purely from patriotic motives. The spirit of adventure and the lack of better financial prospects have much more to do with recruiting. Ireland gives twice as many men to the Navy as Scotland. The satisfactory fact remains that the Admiralty gets as many men as it wants, and the journal believes that if it wanted more, it could get them easily by making greater efforts. London supplied 1,500 of the B,GOO enlisted last year, and of t he counties Hampshire led the way with 742, and Devon was third with 489. London continues to be the best recruiting ground for both services. The Admiralty continue to obtain four or five times as many applications for the seamen branch as are needed, and it is suggested that the-educational test should be raised. At present the Admiralty take

the lads with the biggest chest measurement, but the "Naval and Military Record" would like more attention paid to brains. It is suggested that all boys should be rejected who have failed to pass the seventh standard. The growth of the Navy is strikingly shown by the increase in the personnel. The seamen branch has risen from 24,500 to 43,565 in eleven years.