§ MAJOR NOLANasked the Secretary of State for War, If, under the new Warrant to be issued on the 1st July, Colonels of fifty-eight years of ago will be allowed to complete their service in those situations to which they have been appointed for five years, or if they will be compulsorily retired on pensions before the completion of the five years term from the command of Depôt Centres and other equivalent positions; if the latter is the case, will he inform the House what is the additional expense which will be entailed on the Exchequer by such compulsory retirements, and if any compensating saving will be effected; and, what will be the gross loss incurred by the officers who would be thus compulsorily retired before the completion of their five years' term?
§ MR. CHILDERSSir, in reply to the hon. and gallant Gentleman, I have to say that if he will wait a few days lie will find that I have determined somewhat to relax the rigid rule proposed on this subject in the Memorandum. It would be impossible, without very elaborate calculations, to assign to this part of the proposed changes the exact cost, the total of which is provided in the Estimates for the whole scheme now before the House.