§ SIR J. COLOMBI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether, before conferring local rank on a junior officer of Royal Engineers serving in garrison at Esquimalt, thereby putting him over the head of his senior belonging to another arm of the Service, the Secretary of State for War was made aware of the fact that during the preceding period of nearly five years, dating from the establishment of the garrison, the command was held only for an interval of about one year by a Royal Engineer officer; and whether he adheres to his statement that the local rank in question was conferred because a Royal Engineer had heretofore been in command; and, if so, whether the Secretary of State for War proposes in future to exclude officers of other arms of the Service from command of garrisons at Esquimalt and elsewhere, by conferring local rank on junior Royal Engineer officers in such garrisons whenever it can be shown that a Royal Engineer officer has, by the accident of relative seniority, once previously held the command.
§ * MR. WYNDHAMThe length of time during which Lieutenant Colonel Muirhead commanded at Esquimalt in no way influenced the selection of Major Grant as his successor in that command. He was selected because it was considered desirable that the command should be held by an officer of Royal Engineers. There is no rule, and future cases will be judged on their merits.
§ SIR J. COLOMBIf it was decided that this was to be an Engineer's command, why was not an officer of superior rank chosen?
§ * MR. WYNDHAMI have answered several questions on this subject. As the hon. and gallant Member knows, important works are in course of construction, and while that is so it is considered the command should be held by an officer of the Royal Engineers. That determination having been come to, we had to send an 1364 officer of that corps. We have not many at our disposal at any time, but we chose the one we thought suited for the command and gave him local rank so as to make him senior at the place.