HC Deb 08 January 1894 vol 20 cc1019-20
ADMIRAL FIELD

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether any decision has been arrived at by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the matter of offering some inducements to a limited number of naval officers and officers of the Royal Marine Corps to qualify by examination in the study of the Russian language for the position of interpreter, in precisely the same manner as now obtains with officers in the Army; whether Lieutenant Crowther, R.M.L.I., who passed the required examination in Russian in 1893, has since received the gratuity awarded to Army officers who so qualify; and what is the amount of such gratuity?

THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. E. ROBERTSON,&c.) Dundee,

(who replied) said: Arrangements have been made to grant gratuities of £150 each to officers of the Royal Navy or Royal Marines who pass the necessary qualifying examination in Russian before the Civil Service Commissioners, not more than three such gratuities to be paid in any one year. Lieutenant Crowther has been paid the gratuity of £150.