our resources in men to
the utmost. Seamen, naval or mercantile, are of one great trade: the
balance of our activities being thrown suddenly and violently to one
side of our engagement could not fail in disorganizing the other. Added
to the outgoing of the retained Reserve seamen, recruitment of a new
Reserve to man Auxiliaries and Special Service vessels was almost
instantly begun. There were many applicants; the choice naturally fell
upon our best men remaining. In and after August 1914, we were
short-handed in the Merchants' Service. We were, indeed more than
short-handed, for the loss of our steadiest men had effect in removing a
certain check upon indiscipline. We missed just that influence upon
which, for want of adequate authoritative powers, we counted to preserve
some measure of subordinance in our ranks.

Large vessels were most seriously affected. The service of troop
transport suffered and was delayed. On occasion, there was the amazing
instance of some 1500 trained and disciplined troops standing by to
await the sobering-up and return to duty of a body of seamen and
firemen. Drunkenness is not yet accounted a crime, but the holding up of
vital reinforcements was no petty fault. Under the Act we were empowered
to inflict a fine of exactly five shillings on each offender. The
offence that held 1500 soldiers in check was met by a mulct of two
half-crowns.

[Illustration: LIVERPOOL: MERCHANTMEN SIGNING ON FOR OVERSEA VOYAGES]

The Army and the Naval Authorities were startled, as at a situation they
had not contemplated. Masters and officers, if not actually challenged,
were deemed to be responsible for such a state of insubordination
among their crews. While such an assumption was, to a degree, unjust, it
is true that we were not wholly blameless. For the sake of a quiet
commercial life, we had accepted the difficulties of our manning without
protest. In this we erred. Had we been an independent and economically
fearless body, we would, in the days before the war, have refused to
proceed to sea with any less than the summary powers held by a
magistrate on shore to enforce law and order in his district. It is true
that no magisterial powers will prevent drunkenness, but that condition
on the ships was due directly to the general indiscipline that we were
unable wholly to control.

The state of affairs called for more than a merely temporary measure,
but our controllers advanced no settlement--only they devi