§ DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the unsatisfactory position of Majors holding the responsible command of batteries of Royal Artillery in comparison with officers of other branches of equal length of service, such as the Army Service Corps, and more especially in comparison with officers of their own branch who have taken half-pay Colonelcies; whether these officers, by retaining their posts as Regimental Majors on active service, lose all Army promotion, and are passed over by junior men in every other branch of the Service, or if, on the other hand, they apply for the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on half-pay, they thereby lose all claim to subsequent employment; whether some of the best men in the regiment have been injuriously affected by the Circular of 1892; and whether the War Office can restore and make retrospective the Royal Warrant of 1882, Art. 11, clause (c), so that Majors of Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers should be promoted Lieutenant Colonel by brevet after seven years' service as substantive Major?
*MR. CAMBBELL-BANNEBMANInconvenience has undoubtedly arisen from the Rules granting half-pay promotion in certain cases; but those Rules are, except as regards some existing interests, almost obsolete, and will soon be entirely so. In these circumstances, I do not see my way to re-open the question.
§ DR. FARQUHARSONI will call attention to this admitted grievance on the Army Estimates next Session.