§ LORD EUSTACE CECILasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether there is any truth in the report that has appeared in the newspapers to the effect that, as the number of men required to complete the Indian Establishment is 9,000 men, it is proposed to offer a bounty of £10 to time-expired men as an inducement to extend their service for 12 years with the colours; and, whether it is further proposed to extend the same terms to time-expired men at home, and to reduce the standard of the Guards from 5ft. 8in. to 5ft. 7in. and the chest measurement from 35in. to 34in.?
§ SIR ARTHUR HAYTERSir, in the absence, through illness, which I much regret, of the Secretary of State for War, perhaps I may be allowed to answer the Questions of the noble Lord. The number required to complete the Indian Establishment is not 9,000, but under 5,000. Communications are taking place between the War Office and the India Office as to the expediency of offering a bounty as an inducement to men of between four and six years' service, now serving in India, to extend their Colour service at once to 10 years. In reply to the noble Lord's second Question, I may say that it is not proposed to extend the same terms to time-expired men at home. In reply to the third Question of the noble Lord, I have to say that the standard height for the Foot Guards has been already reduced from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 7 inches; and the alteration of the chest measurement applies only to gunners of the Royal Artillery.
§ LORD EUSTACE CECILasked if it was intended by the Secretary of State for War to make any general statement on recruiting, and if the statements in newspaper reports were founded on facts?
§ SIR ARTHUR HAYTERsaid, that in the course of the Army Estimates the Secretary of State for War would, no doubt, make a general statement upon recruiting. He was unable to answer any Questions as to newspaper reports without dates, as he did not know to what the noble Lord alluded.
§ LORD EUSTACE CECILinquired whether time-expired men in India had been offered a bounty of £5 to rejoin for another term with the Colours, and had refused?
§ SIR ARTHUR HAYTERasked for Notice of the Question.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked whether the Indian bounty was to be a temporary remedy; and whether it was intended to take any other steps to remedy the shortcomings of the short service system?
§ SIR ARTHUR HAYTER,in reply, said, that, so far as he understood the purport of the Question, he had already answered it, by saying that further communications were still pending between the War Office and the India Office on this subject.