§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for 1136 War if he can explain how it was that Private Joseph M'Combie, Gordon Highlanders, was accepted as a recruit in 1897, although born in 1882, and therefore only 15 years old at time of enlistment; whether, seeing that the Government refuse to require the production of a certificate of birth on enlistment for the Army, as is done in the Navy, steps can be taken to check the increasing practice of enlisting boys below the nominal regulation age by holding the recruiting and medical authorities responsible when errors as to age of recruits are proved; whether the recruiting and medical authorities are prompted to treat the age regulations as non-essential by being given to understand that subjects for enlistment must be provided regardless of qualifications; and whether in the above case those responsible for the enlistment of Private Joseph M'Combie will be reprimanded for their disregard of regulation as to age.
§ MR. WYNDHAMI have not been able as yet to obtain full information in regard to the particular case in question. It is difficult to form an exact judgment of age from a medical examination; but for errors such as can be avoided the medical officers are held responsible. They are not prompted to treat the age regulations as non-essential, and no such understanding exists.