§ SIR HORACE DAVEY (Stockton)asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of Major General Downes, Royal Artillery, who was appointed last year Commandant of the Forces by the Government of South Australia; 511 whether, notwithstanding the strong representations of the Colonial Government, he has refused his consent to Major General Downes' appointment, with the result that he can only hold it on condition of permanently losing his pension; whether he is aware that his decision has given great dissatisfaction in the Colony; what is the reason for the decision; and whether he will lay the correspondence with the Government of South Australia upon the Table of the House?
§ *MR. E. STANHOPEHonorary Major General Downes has been refused permission to draw his retired pay, so long as he shall hold the appointment of Commandant of the Forces of South Australia; but no question of its permanent withdrawal has arisen; my decision has been given on military grounds, in which the interests of the Colony are directly concerned. An arrangement was made in 1886 in consultation with the Agents General of the Colonies, including South Australia, that Her Majesty's Government would provide competent officers on the Active List to hold, for the usual period of staff appointments, certain Colonial positions of a military character. Her Majesty's Government and the Colonies considered it very important that the Colonial Forces and those of Her Majesty's Army should be kept in close touch, which could only be effected by having officers to command them who should be fully acquainted with all the latest developments in drill, tactics, armament, &c., which have obtained with the Imperial troops. With that view, we undertook that the Colonial Service of such effective officers should count for promotion and Imperial pension as if it were Imperial Service, provided the Colonies would issue the full pay during employment. If retired officers should be appointed to these posts and be allowed to hold them for an indefinite period, the whole object of the arrangement would be sacrificed; and, consequently, I am not prepared to sanction Major General Downes drawing his retired pay. The regulations on the subject were presented to this House in September 1887; and I do not think there is anything in the correspondence which would affect the question of the hon. Member.