The Labour Government has succeeded in shelving tle Sings. pore naval base scheme by plead-Ing the neod for economy. Tt in tolerably adroit way of dispose ing of an inconvenient. question the form of an "H" was so designed out of compliment to Sir Robert Hart, bub the opinion today of architects and engineers, that it was s0 designed for pur: poss of light and ventilation, seems rather more in accordance With the probabilities. Ab any ignores the fact that to-day British crews have to" compete] with Asiatics not only east of Suez but the whole way from Tapan to England and the rest] jot Europe. To mention one country only, Japan, with -her great steamship lines, would Almost certainly make" inroads on the British canying—trade but for the cheap labour which he latter are enabled to obtain. here is a, further and very important pott which Commander Kenworthy and others have apparently lost sight of When trouble occurs among a white crew on an Eastern rin the master of a ship may be placed in the most difficult situation imaginable. Admiring the Brit. ish sailor a8 we do, it has yet "to be admitted that'at times he makes rather 100 good 4 life of it when in distant ports, and from time to time numbers have} to be left behind from other} causes than sickness, The dif. ifieulty finding European sailors to replace them in Bar Eastern ports is very great, and there is w very great danger of a ship having to go short-hand. 0d or stay in port, ¢0 piling up
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.