WHY THE NAVY GETS RECRUITS
By W. V. EMANUEL
IN the last few months the question of recruiting for all three of his Majesty's forces has come very much to the fore. The rearmament policy means not only more machines, ships and material, but more men. Sea-power is ultimately a form of man-power, as the Athenian commander recognised at Syracuse : we cannot calculate our naval strength merely by counting ships. Between 1928 and 1933 the strength of the Naval Establishment was reduced from 101,800 men to 90,300. By the end of 19:35 the numbers had gone up to 94,482, and the Supplementary Estimates of last April made provision for a total of 101,154, or some 45,000 fewer than our forces on the outbreak of the Great War. In spite of these increases, Sir Thomas Inskip, speaking in the House of Commons on November 10th last, declared, " There is no shortage of men. Present indications are that the numbers required in the Navy will be obtained, except possibly in the case of skilled branches of artificers and shipwrights, and recruiting has been good for some months."
This happy state of affairs is in marked contrast to the position in the Army, where, out of the 35,000 fresh recruits now needed, only 21,000 arc likely to be found at. the present rate of voluntary. enlistment. In this connexion it is worth noting that the conditions of entry favour the Navy more than the Army. The age-limits for boys joining the Navy arc between 15 years 3 months and 17 years ; thus a youth ceases to be eligible for the Navy at the age when he would only just begin to be eligible for the Army. As a boy (and potential sailor) he is often, from his parents' point of view, better out of the way, but as a .young man (and potential soldier) he can contribute part of his wages or, if he has no job, his dole, to maintaining his family. This is one reason for the Navy's better recruiting figures. Another is the difference in the prospects of re-employment on discharge.
The inducements which bring boys and men to join the Navy are ninny and various. In the first place, it is a career which provides assured employment over a number of years. In these days of intermittent and insecure employment, when it is estimated that the total yearly turnover of jobs among the insured population of 13 millions amounts to not less than 8 millions, a " safe job " until the age of at least 30 is an attractive pro- position. Further, given average ability and a good character, anyone who so desires may re-engage, that is, remain on for another 10 years after completing his 12 years' service, which only begins officially when lie ceases to be a " boy " at 18. He can thus assure -for himself continuous employment for at least 22 years, and a useful life-pension of between £40 and £90 per annum to follow. On an average 64 per cent. of those who could leave the Navy each year prefer to re-engage, which, considering that a large proportion of them are married, is a good indication of the Service's popularity.
Good pay and steady advancement is another induce- ment held out by the recruiting authorities. The cor- rectness of this claim depends on several factors. In times of naval reduction, such as the last 15 years, vacancies are few, but in times of expansion, as at present, the number increases. Thus the capable and ambitious man should make steady progress in rank and pay. The prospects of advancement to Warrant Rank are good : since 1900 Warrant Rank, which then only included gunners, boatswains, signal boatswains, car- penters, artificer engineers and head schoolmasters, has been open also to the ordnance, electrical, account, and ship's police branches. The percentage of Warrant Officers to ratings in the various branches varies from approximately 2 per cent. to 5 per cent. Of Com- missioned Officers, below the rank of captain, 7 per cent. are men who have been promoted from the lower deck. Thus it will be seen that the proportion of special rewards for the recruit of real ability is high enough to satisfy most ambitions.
The greatest hire of all is the good pay, varying from the 5s. 3d. a week of the boy, second class, to the 32s. 8d. of the leading seaman. Pay is given out once a month on foreign stations, once a fortnight at home, and there are special facilities for men to send home allowances free of expense. In the past, little or no notice was taken of the sailor's wife and family. (Possibly the official view was that if the sailor had, as alleged, a wife in every port, it would be invidious to single out any one for official benefit). This is now no longer the case. Marriage allowances—a privilege not shared by the officers—arc paid to all married men over 25. The rates, which vary in accordance with the Cost of Living index-figure, arc at present 7s. a week for a wife, 12s: for wife and one child, &c. Further, family welfare sections have recently. been established at each of the three naval ports, which should be of real value in dealing with the domestic emergencies that inevitably arise when husbands on foreign service are separated from their families for long periods. Medical and dental attention is provided free, without any deduction of pay except in " those eases where the disability is the result of a man's own misconduct, carelessness or neglect." Extra pay is granted for certain special services, such as submarines, and also for gunnery, torpedo and physical training qualifications. Such conditions, with four good meals a day thrown. .in, allure many. But there are other attractions. ..„ The average boy joins the Navy because he wants to go to sea. •I-Iewants to travel, and it is an undoubted fact that sailors take an increased interest in the various ports that they visit, making much more of their opportunities than did• their predecessors of a generation ago. Shore parties, generally led by the Chaplain or the Paymaster; often leave big ships on several days' absence to visit the " sights " in foreign ports. To the boy at least the travel, the physical fitness, the recreation, make just as much appeal as the good pay and pension. Above all, he has the opportunity of learning a job which will be useful- to him both in • the Service and afterwards. Unlike ex-soldiers, comparatively few ex-sailors (or ex-airmen, for that matter) are reduced to seeking casual labour; because the Navy contains a great number of specialitts and tradesmen whose work bears a direct relation to some civilian trade. In the Navy are to be found not only ordinary seamen, signallers, gunners and carpenters, but also Musicians,- doctors' and dentists' attendants, accountants, clerks, stewards, plumbers, wireless experts, photographers, blacksmiths, electricians, bakers and cooks. The modern battleship is like a small city in the diversity of occupations carried on by its inhabitants.
It is sometimes alleged that the Navy of today is not a popular service. The figures for re-engagement and recruiting are the most convincing answer to this charge. In 1935 51,777 boys and men applied to enter the Navy, and 6,814 were accepted. These figures are a measure of the Navy's popularity as a career. It was not always so. The days of the Press Gang are not so very long past. In 1741, for example, when there was a particularly urgent demand for • sailors, a " hot press," as is was called, swooped down on the shipping in- the Pool of London, and within 36 hours secured 2,370 trained seamen for the Navy. Autres temps, autres 'nadirs. The Press Gang has gone : the need for men remains. Today recruiting ollicers in most of the large towns, reinforced by posters at police stations and post offices, bring in by less violent methods far liner material than the Press Gang's seourings. The Navy is still the most popular of the Services.
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