§ GENERAL LAURIE (Pembroke and Haverfordwest)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether the two officers of Militia Infantry and the officer of Militia Engineers appointed to commissions in the Royal Garrison Artillery, as published in the London Gazette of 13th inst., have passed educational tests and have gone through a course of professional training equal in all respects to the tests and the course of training required from cadets who attend a two years' course of instruction at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; whether an open competitive examination was held; whether these candidates passed highest on the list; whether, if they have not passed such educational tests, seeing that such qualifications have been considered absolutely necessary in order that the Royal Artillery may retain its high state of efficiency, he will explain on what grounds these officers have been appointed; and whether these three gentlemen thus appointed to commissions on the 13th instant will be retained as senior on the list of officers to the forty-one cadets who have gone through the course of training at the Royal Military Academy and form the graduating class who after due examination were recommended for commissions on the 24th instant.
§ * THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. WYNDHAM,) DoverThe officers referred to had not passed an open competitive examination; but they had been through a course of professional training sufficient to qualify them for the posts to which they have been appointed. As the Royal Military Academy cannot at present supply suit- 969 cient officers to meet the recent enlargement of the Royal Artillery, it was necessary to look elsewhere; and these officers were carefully selected, with reference to the training they had gone through and the schools they had passed.