COLONEL JERVISasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is true that the assurance given by the Secretary of State for War on the 20th 839 of July 1874, that Majors of the Royal Artillery serving in India should receive the pay of their substantive rank, has not been fulfilled; whether all officers of the British Army ordered to proceed to India, or who whilst in India, getting promoted, are retained in India on duty, are not entitled to the pay of their substantive rank whilst serving in that country; whether those Officers of the late Indian Artillery who volunteered for general service at the time of the amalgamation, and, in consequence, received Commissions in the Royal Artillery, were not assured by the General Order of the Viceroy and Governor General of India in Council, 10th April 1861, that on so doing they should "draw the pay and allowances fixed by Her Majesty's Regulations for that arm of the service, according to the situation and locality in which they were serving;" and, whether the payments made in India to Officers commanding Horse and Field Batteries under the contract system were so paid previous to the Warrant of 5th July 1872, irrespective of whatever may have been their substantive rank, for duties performed and expenditure incurred, which in the British Service have always been provided for otherwise by the State?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONMajors of Artillery, while serving in India and in command of their batteries will, on and after the 1st of April, 1875, receive the Indian pay and allowances of their recently advanced rank. Officers of the British Army serving in India are entitled to receive the British pay of their substantive rank. Their claims to Indian allowances are determined by the rules of the Government of India in force in India at the time. Officers of Indian Artillery who volunteered to the Royal Artillery in 1861 were informed that "they should draw the pay and allowances fixed by Her Majesty's Regulations for that arm of the service according to the situation and locality in which they may be serving." The contract system alluded to was in force previous to the 5th of July, 1872. Under this system payments were made to the officers commanding field batteries, irrespective of their substantive rank, to meet certain expenditure incurred. These allowances are upon so liberal a scale that the officer receiving them derives considerable emolument 840 from them. This contract system is not in force in the British service.