The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-08 00:00:00

Ny MARCH 8, 1847.
S

NEW SHOALING OF THE YARDS.
Four Leading Men under each Inspector—Twelve
Shipwrights under each Leading Man—Sub-Leading
Men.—lt is the intention of my Lords to place four lead-
ing men under each inspector, and to assign to each
leading man a gang of twelve artificers, with the proper
proportion of apprentices. The leading man will him-
self select a sub-leading man, who will take charge of a
portion of the gang when employed on separate service,
and who will be answerable to him for the expenditure
of the stores and materials. This sub-leading man will
receive no additional pay, and will continue to work
as an ordinary artificer, but his conduct is to be spe
cially noted in the weekly returns, and if satisfactory,
it will be taken into account when his own time comes
for promotion.
The yards are to be " shoaled " afresh (no reserved
gangs being on any account permitted) for the purpose
of carrying out this plan ; and as the number of inspec-
tors will be reduced by it, some of those least qualified
by age, health, or other circumstances for the discharge
of their new duties, are to be recommended for super-

annuation.
Casual Sickness—Absence on account of.—As a fur •
ther evidence of their Lordships' desire to raise tba
conditions of those officers from whom they look for
more active co-operation, they are pleased to order the
discontinuance of the abatement now made from their
salaries when absent from sickness, under medical

certificate.
Re-establishment of " Measurers " Office.—lt is the
intention of their Lordships, as a check to extravagance
in the use of materials, and in order to bring the work
actually done to a proper standard, to re-establish the
" Measurers " office introduced in 1809, by order in
Council, upon the recommendation of the Board of Naval
Revision, assigning to it what it had net before, a control
over the expenditure of materials as well as over the
application of labour, and placing the office itself upon
a more economical footing. They are convinced of the
necessity of having in the dockyard., whore tho work.
are so extensive and the business so complicated, a sys-
tem of keeping accurate accounts, and of checking the
issues of stores and materials ; and they conceive the
means of effecting this may be found by employing in
each of the larger yards four measurers, who, with four
shipwright-writers, will form, under 'the master-ship-
wright, an office for the measurement of work done, the
formation of estimates for repairs, and the statement of
actual expenditure. Where any of the old " sub-mea-
surers" remain in the yards they may be selected for this
duty, with the pay of inspectors of the second class, and
permission to retain their pensions. Where there are no
sub measures, intelligent and practical men will be ap-
pointed as measurers, with the pay of inspectors of the
first class (1501.), and furnished with instructions, which
will be given in a separate paper.

FOREMEN OF YARD.
The foremen 'of the yard are to be selected from the
whole body of inspectors, assistant timber converters
and measurers, giving a preference, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, to inspectors of the first class, but preserving
the right to promote from the second class, upon a spe-
cial report, in cases of extraordinary services or merit.
Vacancies how Filled.—When a vacancy for a fore-
man occurs, the master shipwright is to submit three
names to the superintendent, who will follow in all re-
spects the rules laid down for the promotion of inspec-
tors and leading men, taking care, however, that the
examination is conducted with due reference to the
higher qualifications required in this class of officers.
Qualification of Foreman.—To be a foreman, a man
should have a competent knowledge of simple equations,
in algebra, and be able to work problems deduced from
the three first books of Euclid. He should also have a
thorough knowledge of the mode of laying off ships
upon the mould loft floor, and understand all the diffe-
rent methods of forming and combining them. These
qualifications are to be stated in the report made by the
superintendent to the Admiralty accompanied by his
own remarks, as to the manner in which the candidates
have discharged their duties as inspectors, and by the
reports which they have themselves drawn up as to the
conduct of the leading men and artificers working un-
der them during the preceding twelve months ; and my
Lords will then select one of the two to fill the va-
cancy.

this regulation the foreign yards, as good grounds may
be assigned, from family circumstances, or health, for
declining to serve in them; but the officers who volun-
teer for this duty, whether as foremen, inspectors, or
leading men, will have their time and rank (in addition
to their increased pay) as if employed in her Majesty's
yards at home, and will be most favourably noted for
promotion, when their conduct abroad has proved satis-
tory. My Lords reserve to themselves the right of ad-
ding their names, upon their return to this country, to the
list of candidates sent up by any yard, in order to ensure
their re-entry, upon their passing the proper examiya-
din. Inspectors will be required to serve twelve months
upon probation before ther appointments are confirmed.
My Lords have now only to call upon the admirals,
captains-superintendent, the master shipwrights, and
the other principal officers of the dockyards, to assist
them in working out this plan honestly. They have
given sufficient proofs, by the surrender of their own
patronage, of the sincerity of their desire to make these
great national establishments what they ought to be.
They have removed everything that can warrant a sus-
picion that preferment will be the result not of service,
but of political favouritism. They wish every step in
the advancement of a man to be known and marked by
his fellows ; and they have laid down the rules that
seem to them best adapted to ensure, in each stage, fair
play to merit and industry. But the good or bad
working of every system must depend, in a great
measure, upon those who are entrusted with its admi-
nistration, and my Lords can only express their deter-
mination to mark with their severest displeasure every
attempt to thwart their intentions, and to reward those
who shall cheerfully second them by every proof of
their favour and approbation.
Feb, 27, 1847.

H. G. WARD.