§ MR. RADCLIFFE COOKE (Newington, W.)asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, by the Regulations for the Militia, paragraph 359, officers of Infantry Militia are forbidden to attend classes formed at the School of Military Engineering, Chatham; whether there is a special course of instruction at Chatham in field fortification which officers of the Line are permitted to attend; whether the Government will consider the advisability of altering the present Regulations, so as to permit at least one officer of Militia per battalion to attend such course of instruction at Chatham, in order that there may be in each battalion one officer capable of teaching field fortification of a simple character?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. E. STANHOPE) (Lincolnshire, Horncastle)The answer to the first two Questions of my hon. Friend is, Yes. With regard to his third Question, I must observe that the School of Military Engineering at Chatham primarily exists for the instruction of officers and men of the Royal Engineers, and any instructional 946 power which may remain after that object has been attained must be devoted to the Cavalry and Infantry of the Regular Army.