THE FOOD OF THE BRITISH NAVY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12933, 29 September 1902, Page 4

THE FOOD OF THE BRITISH NAVY.

Lv theory the British' Navy is the most) popular branch of the public service, and in every war that* breaks out tvs remind ourselves that. Britannia rules the waves, that “we'vo got a Navy, a fighting Navy. Unfortunately the national pride andl interest in the bluejacket have not yet reached tho practical stage of seeing that he is supplied with proper food. For some years past great exertions have been made to maintain a large fleet of tho most modem warships and destroyers, but the efficiency of the sailors is surely more important even 1 than that of the vessels. Every famous general of modem’ times has recognised that

tho commissariat is a primary consideration in organising an army, and the maxim is equally true in regard to the Navy. Yet) the same unsatisfactory methods of victualling the fleet, which were exposed last year, still remain unchanged. A few months ago the Admiralty appointed a Committee of Inquiry, at the head* of which was Admiral! Rice. This Committee pronounced the present ration insufficient, and recommended that instead of three meals, there should be five a day. The recommendations have not yet been carried out, owing to the opposition of the Treasury, and the sailors have to be content with a rather vague promise that something will be done for them nest year. There can be no two opinions about the insufficiency of the present diet. The authorities themselves take it for granted, and canteens are provided so that men cad make up the deficiencies •at their own expense. Five meals seems an excessive daily allowance, but it would not really be so, taking into account the long hours of duty, tho open-air life at sea, and, above all, the poor and unsatisfying quality of the socalled “ meals.” Mr Arnold White’s investigations, published in the “ National Review,” show 1 that) the grievance is a real and not a. fictitious one. A most convincing proof is furnished 1 by the experiment he made last year on board one of the Mediterranean squadron. In company with Mr Yerburgh, a member of the House of Commons Mr White lived for twenty-four hours on the ration served out to the men. This is what they got: 6 a.m.—A 'basin of greasy watery cocoa and a “hunk” of sour bread. Noon.—A tepid over-dressed “slab” of baked beef (too tough to eat) in watery gravy, a few beans, a piece of sour bread and a basin of water. 4.30 p.m.—A basin of stewed tea, a bunk ” of bread and some grog. This faro is certainly no better than that supplied to convicts, and even they might complain of it. Most British paupers have a more liberal diet, with occasional treats of pudding and l cake. A number of letters written from various ships are quoted by Mr White, complaining of mildewy tea, bad butter and wet sugar. It is quite evident that the ration does not provide the bare necessaries of modern civilisation. Thci supplies, too, are laid in for a period of six months, which fully explains their frequently unwholesome condition. All that the men want beyond their meagre dole, they are obliged to buy from tho canteens, where the stores are often dearer than those on shore, and often inferior in quality. In one mess twelve seamen had to spend out of their earnings 15s 6d each a month for food, while in another the sum rose tol9s 3d, and! in a third to £1 Os 2d. And all declared it impossible to manage on less than from 15s to £1 a month. If the wages were large enough to allow for this outlay, there would be no reason why the sailors should not buy their own stores; but, unfortunately, they earn so very little, that they often have to stint themselves. The expense falls heaviest on tho married men, who cannot send) enough home to keep their wives and families. “ The result,” says Mr White, “is sometimes tragedy. When a good-looking young woman, separated from, her husband) by thousands of miles for months at a time, does not receive enough to keep body and! soul together, all know what may happen. This aspect of the case cannot be discussed in Parliament or the Press. But it is true, and' the public is responsible for the shame of it.”

The whole system is at fault. We are tempted to think that a smaller expenditure on machines of destruction and an increased outlay on the human beings who direct them would pay better. Tho diet, like the guns, should bo up-to-date ; tho men who dofendi their country, who protect British commerce and l keep Britain Mistress of the Seas, have a right to good, whole■some food, and plenty of it. It may bo true that they are better fed than the sailors of Elizabeth, who fought the Armada, bub the conditions of modem life are nob like those of the Sixteenth or Seventeenth Century. The standard of comfort amongst tho working classes has been greatly raised, and the tars have as good a claim to share in the advance as farm-labourers and artisans have. It is impossible to keep one class of men living under the half-civilised'

conditions of three centuries ago, while other classes enjoy an improved 1 state of affairs. Against the agitation for better food, a counter cry lias been raised that it would be only pampering the men and encouraging excess. Those who consider this a fair argument would not think of applying it either to themselves or to the officers. No one has yet suggested that officers fight worse than their men, though they are better fed, and a little consideration shows how small is the chance of passing from one extreme to another and fostering luxury. The) truth is that all men require a certain amount of good, ■wholesome food, and if they do not get it, there is hound to be ai reduction of energy and efficiency. They are all the better in health if they can not only eat but also enjoy'their meals. The difficulty is that there is always a prejudice in an old country against changing established customs in national institutions, and often enough it takes a war, a revolution, or a century of agitation to effect a change. Mr White counts on the outburst of Im--perial and national enthusiasm to help him in the good food' movement, arid we .trust that his hopes will he fully realised.