MANNING THE NAVY.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
Srs,—Ships are being launched and keels laid for adding to the fighting power of our Fleet, but we have seen no increase made in the number of men for service in the Navy. In fact, the Vote for the last five years has remained at one hundred and twenty-eight thousand men, including Marines, whereas in 1904 the number was one hundred and thirty thousand. Ships can be built to order, and in October last we saw the Indefatigable' cruiser, the longest ship of war afloat, launched in two hundred and forty-seven days from the date on which her keel was laid. The modern warship requires comparatively little unskilled labour. Men cannot be trained to be efficient in a hurry. Machinery now does the work of the ship which formerly devolved on bone and muscle; but a knowledge of the working of this machinery, of the various parts of the ship, and the general routine of service is essential. Moreover, a large number of our men enter as boys and need time to develop. It is therefore imperative to increase the number of men for the Navy, or the money spent on new ships will be wasted. We must husband our resources, but avoid being parsimonious in the matter of men, for we can feel sure that a well-trained seaman will do good service in times of stress wherever required, be it afloat or be it
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