The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-09 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOITRNALL

The Times observes that Mr. Childers, in moving the
navy estimates, had a double advantage—first, in condiig
before the House with all the energy of a new adrninle.
trator ; and next, in addressing an audience, a large
number of whom heard the naval estimates moved for the
first time. The fact that he could announce a reduction
of more than a million was also in his favour, though zinc'
of this reduction was settled before his predecessor left
office. But, after making every allowance for the tarll
zeal of the late Ministry, Mr. Childers deserves the Pr'4l,l°
of great energy and success since he has been at Whitelnw'
He has recast the supreme administrative machinery.
has devised a plan of freeing the navy from the congestion
of elderly officers, under which it constantly suffers. 'fell:II
revised the mode of distribution and relief of the brae
squadrons. Ile has determined upon a distinct policy t°
be followed in shipbuilding. He has just touched, by 01
of beginning, the management of the dockyards, and gicei
fair promise of doing much more in the same portion of ble
department. Experience only can shew how far his ITN°
are salutary, but there seems to be good reason for everyone
of them. It is impossible that economy can be pursued ,
a Government without some complaint on the part of those
who find themselves affected by retrenchment; but the
kind of remonstrance raised against the reductions of 3.11'
Childers on Monday night was particularly feeble. Sir 1.
Elphinstone, in his double capacity as a member of tra
Opposition and representative of Portsmouth, denotinc
the savings effected in the dockyard there ; but the
conclusion of an unpredjudiced bystander would be rather
in favour of encouraging Mr. Childers to further eceeersi
than of holding his hand. The principle of extravagarlice
has been defined as " making things pleasant all rout'''.
and the practice of economy must make things " unPles,
sant all round ;" but Blr. Childers has not been inc°ll
siderate in his course, and the inevitable inconvenience
has been mitigated in every possible way. More must'
indeed, be done, for of little more than eight rcillio/15'
forming the total cost of the effective service, more than
three millions are consumed in the dockyard, oval
stores, and new buildings. The Third Lord and Li'.
Controller may find in a careful examination of t-,_
expenditure ample employment for their own energlr
and the means of enabling Mr. Childers to appear agl
as an efficient economist in moving the estimates 11°

year.
The Daily Hews declares that when Mr. Childers °
down on Monday evening after speaking without °
moment's halt or hesitation for two hours and a half,
he
was heartily and deservedly cheered on both sides of the
House. From first to last the attention of the consinittl
neither flagged nor wandered. lie had, in the course °
an exposition as remarkable for its order and method 'w
for its exhaustiveness and perspicuity, traversed e
whole range of the naval administration, touching 44,,
points with equal firmness and precision, omitting °ells
and leaving none obscure. The House of Commonslit
to listen to a Minister who shews himself a master of s".
subject, who can give a reason for every one of bi"
acts 0.4
, and has a distinct policy to announce.
the
Childers announced and explained his policy on
internal reconstitution of the Board of Admiralty ; 00
th
revision and reduction of the Admiralty Offices' °a
the concentration of the dockyards ; the classira;;
tion of stores and material ; the reorganisation a t-
civil, and particularly the medical, establishments,
redistribution and reduction of distant squadrons • °it:
formation of what may be called a normal flying squa:ds
to visit all the stations in turn ; the maintenance of
Channel Fleet in the most perfect training; the red
of non-efficient men in order to keep the blue iackeas
at their full strength ; the annual exercise
sea of the coastguard and training ships the
way of convenience and encouragement to .14
naval reserve ; the preparation of a compreheysice
scheme of retrenchment, so as to let light and air at oil
into the highest and the lowest ranks of a professiotil;
which the number of officers is out of all proportion t°
probability of their employment ; the construction of slits
armoured ships and of such unarmoured cruisers as ill
sustain the relative and absolute superiority rather d,
quality than in quantity of the naval power of Engliiii,or
On all these points Mr. Childers announced such ad' A
and positive policy as only a strong Governisient'd
Government de longue haleine, sure of its existence andconfident in its capacity, can presume to initiate or Prete
to execute.
ntr°'
The Star considers that Mr. Childers's speech in I
clueing the navy estimates has justified the expeot3!ions
that were formed of his economising policy, without atillt f
ing any opportunity for adverse criticism on the Os t't
those who would willingly establish, if they could,
the navy is likely to suffer in efficiency while under;
present management. It is, fortunately, more 01,4
prove in naval matters than in many others that econo7t
and efficiency go together, and Mr. Childers's statenelatto
of the present state of the navy list may be aPPeal, the
as a satisfactory illustration of the scope there is livmy
Admiralty for a reformer who will attack evils brow -0;
and who is capable of reducing establishments in tina
direction of efficiency instead of in the dire
of false economy and waste. There is not in any count sts
in the world a navy with so enormous a proportiovo
excess of officers over men as exists in the navy of if
Britain. Of our vice and rear admirals, of whom °ors
one in ten is employed ; of our post captains not rcris is
than one in five is employed ; and of the corninande, tse
the list only one in four is employed. The condition of
der
junior branches of the service is, of course, 00
these circumstances most deplorable. There list,
actually 446 names on the sub-lieutenants:aderS
and their state is spoken of by Mr. Cm hish
with a sort of vast and poignant pity Z°
is significant of their prospects in the Pr°- 000'
which they have chosen. Can anything be lessr,Aiderl
mical ? But can anything be less efficient? Mr• sera'
tells us that the system works very badly in three se of
ways. It renders the officers disgusted, for the): of
receiving their full pay only occasionally, allei
always grumbling in consequence, whether they of
on full or half-pay. The fact that this great nuli3not
unemployed officers exists encourages the Govern,' Inept
favour the discovery of utterly unnecessary, enlW.7 sesif
for them. And the navy, being officered in this
efficiency is to a great extent out of the question. go
The Standard refers to the discussion raised 129 Isft,
Sclater-Booth respecting the appointment 014
Stansfeld and says that no one will grudge him b's_;,bt:s
or his rank. His party is in power, and he had a 17iis
expect, on the score of his ability, his previous dill:
services, and the confidence which the extreme wing :„
bia
Radical party reposes in him, an important position; c
new Government. Had he been called to one of tb
offices of State, with a seat in the Cabinet, his oPlijaso
might, indeed, have considered the appointment antelisis tge,
one ; but they would have frankly admitted his c,;_s, wets
such an office in a Radical Government, and they
surprised that his name did not appear in tisojestio
of noblemen and gentlemen submitted to her s' so_
for offices which give a place in the Cabinet.a
Mr. Stansfeld's abilities are one thing,
1r.,. 001
expediency of creating a Third Lord of the re sus'' irbs
altering the constitution of the board are another:, who
question is not whether Mr. Stansfeld is an able mere
is worth a salary of £2,000 a year, but whether. trirvibi,oo
any necessity to create the post as the occupants°, 1,10
lie enjoys that income. And this was what 3-1-1,;, IV a
utterly failed to skew. Mr. Ward Hunt exposeo.„ es;
much power, the danger of the precedent setae l
appointment of the Marquis of Lansdowne to
~ wed
without salary, and Mr. Ctirdwell made a vaerJeslit
defence for it. The Secretary for War claimea ciropitV;cl
the Government for respect to the deCision of A C.° sh fie
of the House in not assigning a salary to the S10:11:1 Lang,l
of the Treasury. But if refusing a salary toexit
downe is respect to the House, what is the palzis
£2,000 a year to Mr. Stansfeld ? Tried by fotleof
standard, sir. Cardwell and his colleagues snot sssuffo
guilty of gross disrespect to the decision of the
Commons. 0
0 tOe
The Telegraph, in discussing the same subject, Issire_
it imputes no want of sharpness to the impatient i‘lsois
in remarking how natural it was that he should hf3il's Pat
the necessity of the appointment. Not only hatssrseirt.ds
usually excelled rather in the handsome disbtur Irfr,
capital, than in a plebeian parsimony ; but even id out ifo:
occupation of office it most consistently carri arse 1410
principles and went beyond its means. Of o°,_, oce,
Booth was not the man to discover either tuactolo
which he had helped to accumulate, or the work .set it ,
created for the coming pioneers of retrenchment ;ss.7t, soir?„,
simply the fact, that the task is in its very naturevvat,st,
plex, and arduous. Hence the call for fresh assistants' son
was there a more palpably reasonable businessiss. tbs,,
action, nor had we ever better ground for belie
the
the aides were well selected. Some portions of V.",,,ritct.:,
to be done especially demand a statesman who
who
tally acquainted with the abuses to be correct,e,.uot so
ell
honest beyond suspicion, who is too indepeo°`
drawn aside from his duty by the most insidiouseesrLell!vtsit°
blandishments, and who puts his heart eartyel'o-ortint47,
whatever work he undertakes. In other words,itaa, as N`o3
wanted at the particular post exactly such Snsty, tres
James Stansfeld, long known for spotless lion
nt pef a
distinguished for zeal in the cause of retreuchmie.street of
its pursuit became the fashion in Downini,„,„ths
its profitable victories a puzzle to the Sclater-Pv"
the day.
terpetne of
The Post thinks that the bill which Mr. Fos
troduced to " amend, consolidate, and make
.sile is one iti
the Acts relating to infectious diseases in c.lttsisi. isbl;74o
which the importance cannot be overrated, the svoclily
deals indirectly Ivith no less a matter
•thia,lj_cts dire_ro,
suthep
interestsof animalfoodlarge tocl a
sthe
of ctchuen
et country,
001
to
gal
visions may be summed up by saying that
ag,iott
Privy Council almost unlimited power of ut.
the °Wbificit
eases where there may be any risk—even not
—of the spread of disease ; while it does tbo
it down to restrictive measures when there
pie_ odee,
such a calamity. This is certainly the paroc.
sensible way of proceeciiriz and it is in f v
been
tinuance of a policy whici; Juts hither
supplemented by increased power of c. „isso_ilJts
immediate and effective execution. The grea'isst stl9
countriest e cattle i
which mported
1p at
timeor d
Englisht na
markes freotnleorJto' h sirs; eetobtoso.
free from disease of any kind, and when oilc ertOo's
bushed it is not only advisable, but highlY "s Keel/ Abe.%
Bible.t eys hoonu lit be e
otherallowh' allowed tdo,
ientertisn theo lescountryt
ttar ttelees
the
apply instantaneously in time of peril thee
_se'i„ sat?,'secYs
experience has shewn are alone rincl rail; to att;rigoirs
plague, and both these objects the bill sr., t whieu
completely. It proceeds, as we have said "r
estrictiouas...
01
principle of providing for extraordinary r, „pe
it does not apply in ordinary times, aid neuritraf.
th
calculated to give a certain and permanent nhese retrictiow"
4t hkows scourge u _pry enttle•