4 JUNE 1870, Page 2

On Monday and Tuesday, the Admirals, passed Lords of the

Admiralty, and shipbuilders in the House pecked away at Mr. Childers and Mr. Baxter like so many irritated turkey-cocks. The reductions were declared to be heartless, the purchase system an instrument of jobbery, and the retirement scheme a breach of faith. Mr. Baxter was always buying things in Dundee, and as to jobbery, why, part of Deptford Dockyard had been sold to a brother of the Solicitor to the Admiralty for much less than its value. The officials bore all this badgering pretty patiently, replying satisfactorily to every charge, but the badgering itself ought to warn Mr. Baxter of the weak point in his system. He could make his seat safe under his scheme, and some day we may have a Secretary to the Admiralty who would do it, while we shall always be hearing charges which in the long run will diminish public confidence in their representatives. Why not try the experiment of inviting tenders at prices fixed by himself, and so making the competition one of quality alone. How could the clerks be bribed then? He can fix the price beforehand as easily as he can determine the price he will give at last.