§ MR. ALDERMAN COTTONasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether it is the intention of the Lords of the Admiralty to alter the existing regulations with reference to the Accountant Branch of the Navy, in which the block is no great that there is no promotion whatever from assistant paymaster to paymaster, many of the former of which rank have been in the service upwards of fourteen years?
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether 304 their Lordships' attention has been directed to the present stagnation in the promotion of Assistant. Paymasters of the Royal Navy; and, if so, whether it is proposed to take any steps to remedy the same?
§ MR. GABBETTasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, If he will state the number of Paymasters of the Royal Navy who will reach the age for compulsory retirement during the present and five following years; if, taking into consideration the small number of compulsory retirements of Paymasters, R.N. which can be reckoned on during the next six years, and the stagnation of promotion of assistant Paymasters which will be caused thereby, he is prepared to offer inducements to the senior Paymasters to retire, or introduce any measure to compensate the assistant Paymasters for their long and increasing detention in the junior rank?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANSir, in answer to these Questions, I beg to say that there may be a temporary slackness of promotion in the paymasters' branch; but it is purely temporary, and there is no intention of adopting any special measures with regard to it. The number of paymasters who will reach the ago for compulsory retirement before the end of 1889 is 17; but this number must by no means be taken as including all who will retire, as it seldom happens that officers remain on the active list to the end. During the last three years I find that only one-tenth of the actual vacancies have been created by ago retirements.