MASTER MARINERS

Shannon News, 21 September 1926, Page 1

MASTER MARINERS

| COMPANY FORMED IN LONDON. ‘‘THE ORIGINAL HUNDRED.” MAINTENANCE OF SEA TRADITION. \ Having l'or its object the maintenance of British sea tradition, the noblest tradition of its kind in the world, the Company of Master Mariners was formed recently in London. The list ,of the foundation council forming the ‘‘Original Hundred” of the company contains the names of many of the most distinguished officers in the British merchant service. All of these members are men of achievement, many of them holding high administrative positions in national maritime interests, both ashore and afloat. > The company is confined to master mariners, and it is hoped to establish the British Merchant officer on a footing with, the officers of any other service m the world. It is not the intention of the company to seek a large membership. On tlie, contrary tlie members wish to create something which will draw Lie Marine has rendered more service and membership will be obtained only by a careful process of election. They are particularly to establish the status of the Mersliant Service officer, in order that the service may attract the best British boys, and it is hoped that the various nutrine educational interests-in the country will find considerable help in the establishment of the company. ' Tributes to Mercantile Marine. In 1921 Mr. J. W. Davis, American Ambassador, said: “I deem it no exaggeration to say that whether In war or in peace the British. Mercantile Marine hs renderd more service to more men of more nations than any other human agency.” More recently Sir Burton Chadwick, M.P., said: “The Navy, the Army, and the Air Force we honour and depend, upon. But we must remember thai neither the Navy, nor the Army nor the Air Force, nor the people of this island, country can'move hand or foot, cither in peace or in war, without the continuous operation of the British Merchant Service. That cannot be said with truth of any other service or of any other unit that I can thinK of in the world.”

The committee of Lloyds have welcomed the formation of the company most cordially and have ordered to put one of the board rooms in their new buildings at the disposal of the court of the company and to revive in the historic “Captain’s Room” the association between Lloyds and the master mariner which bifought that great institution into existence about two hundred and fifty years ago. This in itself is of great signicanc.e. One -■ 'ho great drawbacks in this period o; large shipping amalgamations is the severance of personal contact between the shipowner and the captain of his ship. In the old days when ships wer-i hugely privately-owned the shipownei himself had an intimate personal ac quaintance with the officers in hi'ship. It is thought that the establishment of such a company as this \vb go far to reinstate the relationship between the shipowner and the off) cers, us in the case of Lloyds, if only because they will meet on a level footing in public life, as is the custoir' with other services and other professions. Ancient and Noble Service. One of the most striking anomalies of the day is that although the fighting services and all the giain groups In th» cc untry’s national life-—whether civic professional, or commercial —taletheir place gt the Court of St. James and in the 'greatest official function; of the year, the British Merchant Service has never had the opportunity L do likewise. The Company of Maste* Mariners, established in the heart of the Empire, should enable this ancient and noble service to take* with dignity the place which it rightly holds. It is felt that the Company, former; as it has been by one hundred of’tlr leading senior officers of the service will provide the medium for centralis ir.g the goodwill and national pride which has been universally expressed in recent years by His Majesty and his subjects. It may well be asked why such a body has not been ir>evaporated before. The reason is not far to seek, for those very men who would have inaugurated such a body were widely scattered wherever British ships sailed in the world upon their lawful occasions. The “Original Hundred” includes lieut.-Commander J. J. Cameron, R.N.R., master of the New Zealand Shipping Co.’s liner Remuera, at present in port, Captain A. W. McKellar, R.N.R., of the Ruapehu, Lieut.-Com-n-ander E. T. Smith, master of the Ruahine, and Captain V. C. White Parsons, master of the TongaTiro.