§ * SIR JOHN COLOMB (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War to give the names of the military authorities referred to in the House on 13th July, 1887, by the then Secretary of State for War as having proposed the conversion of fourteen field batteries into ammunition columns. I beg also to ask the Under Secretary of State for War to state the names of the military authorities who recommended or approved the reduction of Royal Horse Artillery in 1887.
§ * MR. WYNDHAMIn reply to these questions put by the hon. and gallant Member, I can only refer him to the reply which I gave on Friday. I am unable to trace the statement mentioned by the 1363 hon. Member as having been made by the then Secretary of State for War on July 13th, 1887. If the Secretary of State for War referred to the military authorities, he no doubt referred to his military advisers on the Headquarters Staff.
§ * SIR JOHN COLOMBIf the hon. Gentleman objects to giving the names of the authorities responsible, will he say if any of them are still advisers of the War Office?
§ * MR. WYNDHAMIf the hon. and gallant Member will look up the Head-quarters list at the date he refers to, he will find an answer to his question. Lord Wolseley, of course, was not Commander-in-Chief at that time.
§ * SIR JOHN COLOMBThe hon. Gentle man forgets the definition he gave me of military authorities as the Commander-in-Chief and the Army Board, for there was no Army Board in 1887.