§ MR. HANBURY (Preston)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the new instructions issued by the War Office, in reference to the Promotion Warrant largely reducing the age at which men who have entered the Army as privates can be promoted to a commission, were intended to be unfavourable to the promotion of the ordinary "ranker," and favourable to the gentleman private, and whether in any case that will be the result; whether the additional new requirement that the candidate for such promotion shall be unmarried is in accordance with the Regulations which sanction the marriage of non-commissioned officers, who would otherwise be eligible for such promotion; 626 and whether it is the policy of the War Office to make it more difficult for the ordinary private soldier to obtain Her Majesty's commission?
§ *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN,) Stirling, &c.The alteration in question reduces the age at which a non-commissioned officer may be recommended for a commission, not that at which he may be promoted. The new Regulation is, in fact, more favourable to the "ordinary ranker" than to the "gentleman private"—to use the hon. Member's own words; and the stipulation suspending the rule in the case of men of specially meritorious service enables good soldiers to receive promotion. It is not considered desirable, in the interest of the Service, to promote married noncommissioned officers to combatant commissions, as they would in almost every instance have difficulty in supporting themselves as commissioned officers.