§ COLONEL C. LINDSAYasked the Secretary of State for War, in reference to the Order in Council in the Appendix of the Reserve Forces Circular, dated 15th October 1872, page 6, paragraph N, Whether it is absolutely necessary that an officer should be present, in order to constitute a Company drill of Volunteers reckoning towards efficiency?
§ MR. CARDWELLSir, the recent Order in Council requires that for a company drill to count towards efficiency there must be present 20 at least of all ranks, of whom not less than three must be officers and sergeants. I do not consider it absolutely necessary, as a question of law, that one of the three should be an officer; but the intention was that, as a general rule, at least one officer should be present whenever it was intended that there should be a drill counting towards efficiency.