The Admiralty, a few hours after the publication of the
Geddes Committee's Report, issued a reply declaring that the Committee had misconceived the character and needs of the wavy and that its proposals would not effect a saving of more than £14,000,000, instead of £21,000,000. The Committee had greatly underestimated the number of officers and men required for the service of the Fleet, so that each man would have on an average to serve six years afloat for every year spent ashore where most of the technical training was given. The surplus of regular officers was being reduced ; summarily to discharge thousands of them, as the Committee proposed, " would be contrary to all ideas of justice." The reduction by half of the Scientific Vote would end the research work begun when Sir Eric Geddes was First Lord, and gravely injure the signal and mining schools. The criticism of the dockyards was unfair. The Admiralty conchided by saying that it was prepared to make very large reductions .in expenditure, almost equal to " the quite unsubstantial round figure " suggested by the Committee, without damaging the services which were essential to the Fleet.
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