COLONIAL NAVAL SAILORS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10964, 6 May 1907, Page 4

COLONIAL NAVAL SAILORS.

■ '.'...♦ — - . ''r:.yT^'iCijfi^,of^Tß^jp^.. , In reference to* Sir Joseph Ward's remarks regarding warships m Australian waters being supplied* with colonial crews, and thus preventing friction between British and colonial- seamen on pay-days, Vice-Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes, m conversation with a Greymouth Star representative, spoke well of the. colonial boys. They were intelligent and easily* dealt with, but. they were less thrifty than the average Britisher. The number \\'lio oould be taken into' the service . was limited, and tliis would prevent Australian ships •being manned entirely by, colonials. The Admiral stated that while the British bluejackets received Is 7d a day the colonials got 4s* 7d. This difference was not pleasant to the old men-of-warsmen. The. colonial' seamen were more lavish m the expenditure of money than the British tar could'; affofd to, be. The colonialis' extra pay'didnot. tend to inculcate .habits of thriift^iand something, lie thought, should be_dpne to remedy this inequality. The Britisli Government would not increase the payment of their own* to that paid by the colonies; he, therefore, suggested- that on ships where there were British and colonial seamen all should on paj'-day be given the same amount, the three extra shifiihgper day to tlie colonial* seamen being plac- ■ ed m a savings bank to the credit of the colonial, and given to him m a lump sum when lie left the service. .Tliis mode of dealing with the matter wojuld remove all source of friction, and would teach the aolonial habits of thrift, and would enable him to have a substantial banking account at the termination of his engage-**, ment. Of course, the Admiral strongly favored Imperial control, and was pleased to know that on this point New Zealand was particularly staunch.