A- NATIONAL SYSTEM OF' SEA TRAINING. [To THE EDITOR OF
THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—As a national scheme of sea training is now under considera- tion, will you allow me to give through your columns a reminder and to make an appeal ?
I. The National Committee on Sea Training, which represents more than six millions of the best British tonnage and of which I have the honour to be Chairman, has been for years appealing for a national scheme- of which the following are the chief features :-
(1) That a: nautical bias- should be given to elementary schools in districts• bordering on the sea and in seamen's orphanages similar to the agricultural bias given in counties like Norfolk or the engineering bias given in cities like Leeds.
(2) That seoondary schools should be established in the form of training-ships- with sea-going tenders at large seaport towns, the country being -mapped out into districts with these seaports as centres.
(3) That the. Royal Naval Reserve boy. probationer class should be restored, and every boy trained as a seaman entered in it.
(4) That a pension scheme should be established in ,connexion with Greenwich Hospital for the trained merchant seamen who keep the sea and retain their membership of the R.N.R: (5) That there should be a recognized scale of wages for trained and certified men and boys in the Mercantile Marine with separate accommodation and special supervision for boys, and a proper system of after care between voyages. Twenty years' expe- rience of the management of the 'Exmouth,' which is by far the largest training-ship for boys of good conduct, leads me to lay great stress on this.
(6) That there should be greater continuity of employment, with obligations on-the side -of both employers and employed. (7) That a definite estimate should be made of the number of boys to be trained fiar the sea to meet the requirements of both services.
II. The passing of the Government scheme is -a matter of vital importance. Such an opportunity may never occur again, as the practical sympathy and attention of the British- public are only obtained by seamen when the country is galvanized into activity by some great disaster like the loss of the Titanic' or the present great war: I appeal, therefore, to our supporters, whom we know to be numerous and influential, to assist the Government scheme, what- ever it may be, even if personal views have to be sacrificed. For instance, one would prefer to get the boys taken on to the training- ships and sea-going tenders at least at fourteen so as to give them at least two years' training before going to sea at sixteen. We may, however, have to rest content with one year's training from fifteen to sixteen on the ground of expense, though, considering the services of the Mercantile Marine during the war, one might have thought that the country would be prepared to be generons.—
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