§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state 929 the number of troops in the British Central Africa Protectorate, and how many are armed with the Snider rifle; and will he say whether it is proposed to re-arm the whole of the troops with rifles of a more modern pattern; and, if so, when.
§ MR. BRODRICKThe military force consists of (a) Indian contingent, three officers, 215 Sikhs; (b) Native contingent, nine British officers, 1,070 Native troops. As stated in the answer to the question on the 19th instant, steps were taken last year to re-arm the whole force with the 303 Martini-Enfield rifle.