§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSON (Manchester, N.E.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether the attention of the Secretary of State has been drawn to the position of Warrant Officers of the Army as regards their terms of service, status, pay, allowances, and clothing; and whether he will consider the expediency of placing this important class on a footing more approxi- 668 mating to that enjoyed by non-commissioned officers of similar rank in the Royal Navy?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ST. JOHN BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordThe conditions of the service of Warrant Officers in the Navy and Army are so dissimilar that it is impracticable to make a comparison between them. Some conditions in the Navy are better than those in the Army, and some are worse; but, on the whole, allowing for prospects of promotion, it is considered that the Army Warrant Officer is not worse off than his naval colleague.