HC Deb 04 March 1875 vol 222 cc1178-9
MR. ANDERSON

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, If his attention has been called to a letter in the "Army and Navy Gazette," in which it is stated— That the last two officers of Marines who were promoted from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel had each to pay several hundreds of pounds to purchase out the officers by whose retirement they gained their promotion, these not having the slightest intention of going unless they had been bought out, and that these facts are as well known at the Marine Office as on the Marine Parades; whether it be the fact that the Captain recently promoted would have reached compulsory retirement in about a month, whereas his promotion gives him six years' longer service; whether it be the fact that the Lieutenant Colonel whose retirement made room for the above promotion did not need to retire for about one and a half years; whether, in the inquiries which have been made, these officers have been required to make declaration on their honour that no inducement was held out to cause the Lieutenant Colonel to retire so long before his time; and, whether in these inquiries the two officers at the head of the Marine Office were asked to declare on their honour that they have no knowledge, officially or otherwise, in this or in any previous case, of the practice of paying officers to retire, and thus depriving the force generally of part of that promotion which the retiring scheme of the late Government was intended to secure?

MR. HUNT

Sir, since the Question of the hon. Member was placed on the Paper I have seen the anonymous letter to which he refers. With regard to the second and third Questions I find that he is correct with regard to the period of the compulsory retirement of the two officers alluded to, and as to the promotion of a captain enabling him to continue in the service. I have not called upon those officers, nor those at the head of the Marine Office, to make any declarations on their honour. There is no regulation in force forbidding Marine officers to offer pecuniary inducements to their seniors to retire, there having been no knowledge at the Admiralty of the existence of such a practice. I think it right, however, there should be such a regulation, and I propose to issue one.