§ MR. ARNOLD - FORSTER (Belfast, W.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether it is intended to enforce the recently-issued order by which sergeant instructors of Volunteers are compelled to act as recruiters for the Army; whether he is aware that, despite the pledge given by the Secretary of State for War to the effect that non-commissioned officers shall not be taken away from the work of the corps to which they are attached, non-commissioned officers so attached have, in fact, been taken away from the work of their corps, and have been ordered to undertake recruiting duties at a distance from headquarters without their own commanding officers being consulted or even informed; whether the Secretary of State for War was correctly informed when he stated that whereas 135 Volunteer instructors obtained only fifteen recruits, one instructor alone obtained nineteen recruits; and whether it is the fact that the nineteen recruits in question were actually re-engaged telegraphists belonging to the Reserve.
§ * THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAIL (Mr. WYNDHAM,) DoverThe order referred to was a memorandum sent to General Officers Commanding Districts instructing them as to the use of the staff at their disposal 1539 for recruiting. Part of that staff consists of the sergeant-instructors of Volunteers. No new obligation is imposed by the memorandum, which refers to rules that have been in force since 1881. The Volunteer Regulations lay down that a sergeant-instructor is not to be employed away from his station without the consent of his commanding officer, nor should any instructor be permitted to neglect his work with his corps for the sake of recruiting duties. No case of such neglect has been brought to the Secretary of State's notice. In reply to the third paragraph, the statement made by the Secretary of State was correct; but it differed from the figures in the question, as he said that 134 Volunteer sergeants had raised seventeen recruits. The nineteen recruits raised by On e other sergeant did belong to the Telegraph Reserve or the Post Office Corps.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERIs it intended to enforce the instruction?
§ * MR. WYNDHAMThe General Officers have been reminded of their duties as laid down in the Regulations, and it is naturally expected that they will act in accordance with the terms of the memorandum.