Mr. Yerburgh, M.P., and Mr. Arnold White during the course
of a cruise with the Mediterranean Fleet carried out an interesting experiment. In order to realise in their own persons the inadequacy of sailors' diet, they arranged for one day to victual as bluejackets. The result was to convince them, in Mr. Yerbtirglis words, that "the rations of blue- jackets are hardly sufficient to keep body and soul together." In illustration of his contention that the men want more food and a bettter distribution of the meals, it may be noted that between 12.30 midday and 6.30 next morning they have nothing but a bowl of tea without milk and a chunk of dry bread. We see that Sir John Colomb, M.P., who can always be relied on for a sensible opinion, based on expert knowledge, in reward to Service matters, while asserting that the quality of some of the food was excellent, admitted that it was not sufficient, and that the men were driven to supplement their rations by the purchase of extra supplies at the canteens out of their private money. That is a method which may be tolerated at an expensive public school, but it is altogether indefensible to sanction it in the case of our bluejackets.
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