§ LORD GARLIESasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he will state numerically the Clauses after Clause 5, which he proposes still to retain in the Army Regulation Bill?
§ MR. CARDWELL, in reply, said, the clauses which, looking at the Notice Paper, he proposed to omit were 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, and 34. The principal subjects to which they referred, he believed, were the extension of short service beyond the limit sanctioned by the Act of last Session, the clauses dealing with the Act of 1860, and the provisions for increasing the Militia in case of emergency, and the power to local authorities to borrow money to build barracks.
COLONEL JERVISasked, whether the right hon. Gentleman did not think it necessary that the Bill should be reprinted?
§ MR. CARDWELLsaid, he believed it would be possible to send round with the votes a document which would show what the Bill was as it would stand.
§ LORD GARLIESasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is a fact that an estimate has been drawn up as to the probable cost of the scheme for promotion and retirement which will be rendered necessary by the abolition of purchase in the Army, and, in the case of this being so, whether he will object to lay it upon the Table of the House?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, the noble Lord had not given him sufficient notice of the question to enable him to make inquiries on 1984 the subject. It was not a matter relating to his Department at all, and he thought it would be more desirable if the noble Lord had specified more particularly what he meant by an estimate being drawn up, and by whom, and when it was drawn up. There was nothing of the kind in his office. He had made inquiries at the War Office and could find nothing of the kind there.
§ LORD GARLIESsaid, the Secretary of State for War having informed the House that all the Army Bill would be withdrawn except certain clauses, he felt that unless he put the question at once he might not have an opportunity of making the inquiry before the Bill passed through Committee.
§ MR. HUNTasked whether any scheme had been submitted to the Secretary of State for War respecting retirement in the event of the Bill passing, and if it had received the approval of the Government.
§ MR. CARDWELLsaid, no scheme had received the approval of the Government, but of course he had been in communication with a great many people upon the measure proposed by the Government. But he had repeatedly stated, with regard to retirement, that there would be no difficulty whatever in making acturial calculations when they they had got the requisite data.
§ COLONEL STUART KNOXasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is usual for a Secretary of State to bring a scheme of this sort before the House, involving the expenditure of public money, without such scheme having been placed before the Chancellor of the Exchequer and approved by him.