NAVAL SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9326, 29 January 1896, Page 3

NAVAL SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —Your correspondent " Citizen " does not appear to quite apprehend the diatinction between naval cadets and ordinary sailor lads. The training ship I referred to, the Britaunia, has nothing to do with the 7000 odd boy 3in training to become able seamen, and who, of course, have training veseela of Lheir own. That no disparagement of the abilities of our colonial youths was intended I imagined would be quite evident from the fact that I added "Very few English lads are able to pass." lam sure that English boys would readily forgive the expression, but then they are nob always on the look out for fancied slights. Generally speaking I think the English boys have a decided advantage in being usually aent to boarding schools at the age of eight or nine, but of course a really smart and clever lad will get on anywhere. However, as only one cadetship to about every 800,000 of the population is annually available, I fanoy ie will ,be a long time bofore a training ship for cadeta will be needed in New Zealand waters. The few able to afford to place their eons, if successful, in the navy, would naturally prefer sending them to study at Home with those whom in after years they would be associated with as their brother officers. Now, to come back to the 7000 lade : as the pay of an ordinary seaman in the Royal Navy varies from £18 to £29 per annum, I fancy that not many of our colonial youths will be ambitious to run to the fleet. At the same time, the discipline of a training ship would no doubt be highly conducive to the well being of many of our growing lade. —Yours, &c,, United Service.