56

A.—2,

Enclosure. Naval Cadets. —Regulations for Entry and Training at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth, and on Board the Training Cruisers. (These Regulations apply to Cadets entering after September, 1913.) 1. No nomination is required by a candidate for a naval cadetship. All that is necessary is to send an application to the Assistant Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty. Applications should not be made until the candidate has reached twelve and a half years of age. 2. Candidates must be of pure European descent, and the sons either of natural-born or naturalized British subjects. In doubtful cases the burden of clear proof will rest upon the parents or guardians of candidates. 3. All naval cadets entered under these regulations are trained together until they pass for the rank of Lieutenant. After passing for the rank of Lieutenant, they may be required to serve either as general service officers or in one of the special branches, undertaking either engineering, gunnery, torpedo, navigation, or marine duty. As far as possible, officers selected for special service will be allowed to choose the branch in which they will qualify, subject to the proviso that all branches are satisfactorily rilled. Parents or guardians of candidates for appointment as naval cadets must undertake for them that they are prepared to serve in any branch if required. 4. Parents or guardians are required to declare in writing their intention that the candidate, if he obtains a cadetship, shall adopt the Navy as his profession in life ; and it is subject to this undertaking that candidates are selected for cadetships. Every cadet who enters the Royal Naval College must therefore be prepared to continue his training so long as the Admiralty are satisfied with his progress, and parents are not at liberty to withdraw their sons at will. On the entry of a cadet, parents or guardians will be required to undertake that, in the event of his withdrawing or being withdrawn from the College, or from the Navy before being confirmed as a Sub-lieutenant, they will pay to the Admiralty, if demanded, the sum of £25 per term in respect of each term passed by him at the R.N. Colleges, Osborne and Dartmouth, from the date of his entry to the date of his withdrawal, as a contribution towards the balance of the cost of his training and maintenance not covered by the annual payment of £75 mentioned in paragraph 15. This undertaking does not apply to cadets withdrawn at the request of the Admiralty. 5. Entries take place three times a year—in January, May, and September. Candidates for entry in January must be more than thirteen years and four months but not more than thirteen years and eight months of age on the preceding Ist December ; candidates for entry in May must be more than thirteen years and four months but not more than thirteen years and eight months of age on the preceding Ist April; candidates for entry in September must be more than thirteen years and four months but not more than thirteen years and eight months of age on the preceding Ist August. 6. All candidates (except those being educated in the colonies who have received special colonial recommendations under paragraph 10) will be required to present themselves before a committee, which will interview each applicant separately. The applications must be received at the the January entry, before Ist October; for the May entry, before Ist January ; for the September entry, before Ist May. Appointments to naval cadetships are made by the First Lord from among candidates recommended by the committee, and all.such appointments are subject to the candidate passing a medical examination (see paragraph 8) and a qualifying examination in educational subjects (see paragraph 9). The fact, however, of a candidate being invited to appear before this committee is not to be understood as in any degree implying that he will necessarily be chosen to attend the qualifying examination. The interview committee will sit shortly before the date fixed for each qualifying examination. * Candidates are eligible only for one interview and qualifying examination. 7. The qualifying examinations are held in December, March, and July, and the appointments of successful candidates date from the 15th January, 15th May, 15th September following, respectively. 8. Every candidate must be in good health, and free from any physical defect of body, impediment of speech, defect of sight or hearing, and also from any predisposition to constitutional or hereditary disease or weakness of any kind, and be in all respects well developed and active in proportion to his age. Before undergoing the qualifying examination he is required to pass the medical examination according to the prescribed regulations, and must be found physically fit for the Navy. It should be particularly noted that full normal vision—as determined by Snellen's tests —is required. A memorandum is issued by the Admiralty which gives details of the physical requirements of candidates. A Medical Board of Appeal has been instituted to meet cases in which the parent or guardian of a candidate is not satisfied with the result of the official medical examination. This Appeal Board will consist of the Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy, a physician nominated by the Medical Consultative Board,'and a specialist in the particular defect which caused the disqualification of the candidate, to be selected from a list drawn up by the Consultative Board.

* Candidates, however, who were unsuccessful under the old regulations may again present themselves under the new rule as to age which is stated in paragraph 5. Should any case occur where a selected candidate is prevented by illness from attending the qualifying examination, the Admiralty will consider whether special arrangements can be made for him to be examined by the headmaster of the Royal Naval College, Osborne, at the beginning of the ensuing term.