In the House of Lords on Tuesday, in reply to
a question from Lord Shuttleworth as to the age-limits for entry of Naval Cadets, Lord Tweedmouth made an interesting state- ment as to the system of selection at Osborne. In future the uniform age at which a Cadet enters Osborne will be thirteen. With the desire to dispel the notion that entrance into Osborne was to be gained by patronage or favouritism, Lord Tweedmouth explained in full detail the process by which boys were brought before the Interviewing Committee. There was no need for nomination. The only conditions were willingness to enter any of the three branches of the Service, and a guarantee as to the payment of fees and personal expenses and an allowance of £50 a year from the date of leaving Dartmouth till the rank of acting Sub- Lieutenant was reached. Lord Tweedmouth then described the process of selection, and to disprove the statement that the Cadets were drawn from a very limited class, gave statistics of the parentage of boys who had gone to Osborne since its foundation. The list certainly on the face of it bears out his contention that Osborne is not conducted on a class system, though it is rather strange that the sons of Army officers are nearly twice as numerous as the sons of Naval officers. Thia, however, is probably due to the late war, as in the case of Army or Naval officers or their widows who are in reduc6d circumstances the fee of £75 is reduced to £40. The state- ment is, on the whole, reassuring, though it does not meet the objections as to expense adduced by our correspondents.
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