§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether during the forthcoming manœuvres it is intended to carry out squadron and company messing by officers instead of the regimental mess; and, if not, whether, seeing that the manœuvres are to be on an unprecedentedly large scale for this country, that the conditions of active service ought to be as nearly approached as is possible, and that the maintenance of regimental messes on manœuvres, with their necessarily large requirements for transport and civilian attendants, is foreign to active service, besides being one of the heaviest items of expenditure to individual officers, consideration will be given to the question of adopting the squadron and company system?
MR. POWELL WILLIAMSIt is not proposed during the manœuvres to substitute squadron and company messing for regimental messes. The subject has been carefully considered, and arrangements have been made, and detailed instructions issued, which will, it is believed, render unnecessary any extraordinary expenditure by individual officers.