The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-24 00:00:00

DOCKYARD PL

On this question that the Speaker do leave the chair,
Sir F. SMITH nee to call the attention .f the bowie to
the recently printed repeat of the doekyanl commission.
The hon. areasher eemplared of the west of harmony is
the various anal department', and of the fact, that while
minute details of expeodinre could be followed through
No account*, it was repent& at any time to ascertain
whether a line-el.batik ship eon on hundred or two
hundred thowianal pound.. The stork .f timber in the
yard. was also iu an unsatiefuctory state, there Leine a per.
Mineral unseasoned timber. He proposed that
an estimate should be haruished of the whole ramose of every
ship that was built. lie an startled by the statement in
the report that there was no egkient dockyard control, an
imperfect organisstiou in the subordinate deptrunente,
and a nut of responsibility everywhere. The sys-
tem of accounts wilt iu no way to be relied on.
The commissiimers believed that with a proper system of
management large retrenchments might be made without
at all affecting the efficieticy of the doekyards. Nothing
could be more faulty than the present system. They had
emus of the net experienced builders is the world at the
bead of the dockyerels, but those gentlemen, although quite
competent to snake dr.swingiaisil design. (or any description
of vessel, del nothing of the kind. It was done by one man.
If they al owed • dozen expeneoreal builders to send in
designs they would hate emulation and rivalry, endue doubt •
ecouotay. The hon. soil gellant gentleman referred at
WIMP length to thg evidence taken before the corn-
IMiftliioll to show the entire want of organisation
Is the present system. There was one very important point
which he wia!wal to press upon the attention of the rivers-
west with a view to a better system of account., namely,
that there should be attached to every ship a capital ae-
meet of the building sad a current account of the aggregate
cold. At the present time there was no cheek, nor that
control over the dockyards which was essential. He trusted
the goverment would open the door to those able
builders at the head of the dockyards, se that when
they received drawings from the Controller of the
Navy they might be at liberty to offer their
opinion awl make rwestions. With regard to
the Warrior he might say tLit she wns not constructed from
the lowest tender. From the evidence before the commis.
maisit seemed the parties who undertook to build the vessel
undertook to complete the work in eleven months, whereas
thou• who mule the lowest tender only undertook to gelid
it in sixteen or eighteen months. Were they quite ordiai•
the work could be efficiently dime in eleven months? He
thought the ~}store a vicious one, and that they ought
to give eir.ple time. If they did that, they
would ,ermialy • put thrum on a more wholesome
forici...g. He bad brought this subject forward
from • paramount memo of public duty, and therefore
be heaped to move that it was expedient that such
reform should be mods in the control and management
of her Majesty's dockyards as would tend to peornot•
greater efficiensy, awl conequeetly to insure greater
economy is those extabliehmeeta.
Mr. LINIkttY seconded the motion.

Sir N. SEI.IIOI7R mid be had listened with much atten-
Hon to what boil fallen from his hon. and Allot friend,
but to his mind the great question was, the difficulty of
proaoeoein` what the reform should be ; and he could not
butremembermember that for many yams this matter bad formed
the subject of dimmers/a in that house. He had mad with
the deepest interest and with much instructioa, the report
of the royal commission which had been referred to. It was
evident that the lakeen of the commiesionen were
drawn to • close, and were sew mortise the action of the
Accoembiut-General, who would so doubt in due time pro
does such • fonn &swordm give theme proper systemof sera!
socousta. As to naval eapeaditure in general he apprehended
that was • matter they could ant get ary from.
Whim war broke out it was ire emery to know how the
loot wan to he fitted out and he must say they were
pests indeldel to those great Anna who with intellmeace,
17Qsad enemy were ambled to malt the government
an amergeser. With regard to the mot of the
Warrior be was ant able to impress as op. es she was •
great soil sew experiment. Ile ass glad that an account
was to he kept of the rust of heading tram ship at Chahar,
rit was very desirable to obtain information on dm sob-
}mt. With regard to the miry generally ha theught the
our oho eld be alga to ammeter that the rim width tbsp
liberally voted were properly, fairly, and beartly dealt
with. ((lifers )
Lord C. PAGET was mach obliged to his hum sed pl-
iant frivol for Writes frowsed this important subjectof
the coatrol sad mmagersat of hoe Maiesty's dockyards,
which had orreepied so meek of the public attention. His
res. and pillar friend bad, borrower, dem kiss an Misr
too is supposing he was opposed to the report of the royal
causreore on that subject.-{Mir F. Semi: "Nu so.")
—Os the contrary. he hod eapreesesi an apperal of their
report, rod he 'oily regretted that they bed set given
neargral refereeing showing the different pertirs of the
evidence on which each part of the report was
feeednl. The Admiralty were altremety obliged to
the reanniasioners for the isoesidwatios they
had given to the subject, and for the valuable
information which their report contained. (Hear, hear.)
The report made a very important reersemardrise as to
the coostitntloa of the Admiralty itself ; hot Shore hong a
eramittes composed of the moot able natinbam of the
rase rung at the parent remit so that quetire, it
was osaalfoet that it woo sot added& that sty dope should
be takes Fr the Admiralty in regard to it, oda H the
thought there would he a change in that deperimat with
refract to the coated cud marogeasent ofdaskyarda.
would sow advert to the principal remenramiatines of the
emansimine which were within the power of the Admiralty
to deal with at whoa, sad to the dope which they bad
dowdy lakes or were abut to take with a view to arm
those recommendatioes Mb effect. They might be redneed
to very few is minder. First of all, there wen the quer
Una of accusal.. There mold he so doubt that the aceounta
of the whIP-beibling droartrnent bad not been kept in R sate-
factory way. He did not fur a moment IllaietIlli• any mat.
liukhe thought that the acemeta should be kept
L'ettita form that the Admiralty and the house mold
ascerteis what each ship in the aavymet, the country. With
repel to the French naval accounts, it would be seen on
refen.eg thenr that they west into greet minuteman of
detail. A large clerical staff had to be kept up in order to
prepare tie... •COMMIII and another great defect of the
French srosiii was, that the accounts were not pee-
meted until two years after the expenditure. Now, the
desire of the Enlists Admiralty won that they should be
enabled is each year to pelmet to the house, without en-
tering into tow mute details, the entire cost of each ship.
The ac- unteatrineral of the navy proposed that there
should be au officer at Somerset-boor who should have
the entire charge of the accounts of the ship-building de-
partment ; and in this way the various dockyard .20ountis
would be brought into one focus, and submitted annually
to parliament. This proposal would involve • small addi-
tional espeti‘e, but he had no doubt that it would he sane-
timed by the Treasury, and if it were., I. a
very few drys this great reform would be COM-
=meta. Wan respect to tenders, it was • mis-
take to suppose that the comptroller of the navy
deckled upon aim. He submitted them to the &ant of
Admiralty, arid it was fur them to deride whether they
should he accepted. The hon, and gallant gentleman had
assumed that there was a deficirory of work for the men in
the dockyards, but a, far from that being the owe there
was • large arrear uf repairs to skips which had to be got
rid of. As to the expenditure on public works he would
remind the houm that no expenditure upon new works
could be commenced without the sanction of the Treasury.
The comptroller complarued that be had no control over the
stores of tiailler in the deckyrirda. There had been great
inoonvesienee, which mole from the departments being se-
parated. They bail the comptroller of the navy at White-
..
--• hall,
. .

while th;st,reiteeper. eilso was intiMaiiii ineaseeied
with him in his business, was at Someniet-hone. That
constant communication which there ought to he betwees
these officers ceased front the time that the comptroller
was removed from Sonienet.house. That the de.
psrtmenta should be all together was one of the
recommendations of the commissiou in which he concurred,
and, if they were not, the aystem must break down.
It must always be remembered that the Admiralty was •
great war dope/Intent. and although they might struggle on
with the present system during pence, if • war were to
'break out to-mormw. it would be found absolutely neer.
Nary that the whole department should be brought under
one roof. They were already is eonimunimtioe with the
Treasury On the subject, and he hoped th..t before long that
greet and important improvement would be made. He
thought that he need not go into details an to the various'
proceedings of the Admiralty with to the various
recommendations of the communion. rW:d Admiralty were
estremel v anxious to carry out those rerommendatioes as far
se practicable. One important rem:mm.B4MM° wee that
there should be an estimate laid on the table every year of
the cost of the ships to be constructed during the year.
His hoe. awl gallant friend the member for Deveeport
thought that could not be dose. He disagreed with his.
He thought it could be done, but only when they had
*onset account.. But if be wen to come down now with
Sub as "Wste, he should only be deceiving the ham
His noble friend the Duke of Somerset, with • desire le
comply with the general feeling of the house, had ler
quieted him to give • sort of rough estimate es is
whet they eery going to do this year, sad whoa
La hoe. friend the member for Sunderland asked
for information under vote 10, be 13100111 give the
hot inforneatwo he could with repel to the ietee ices ,
of the Admiralty. He could not oppose hie boa. Nees