§ MR. SEALE-HAYNE (Devonshire, Ashburton)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the hardship of the continued separation from their wives and children of the non - commissioned officers and men 379 married with leave of those regiments which by being kept in South Africa have lost upwards of three years of their home term of service; whether he will state how long this condition is to continue; and whether, in the event of these regiments not being shortly ordered home, their wives and children will be sent to South Africa.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO TIIE WAR OFFICE (Lord STANLEY,) Lancashire, WesthoughtonI am well aware of the hardships inflicted on the families of the men referred to, but I fear that still greater hardships would be inflicted on these families by allowing them to proceed to a country where great difficulty will be for some time experienced in providing sufficient accommodation for them. The inconvenience they undergo is unfortunately incident to active service and the present calls on the Army, and it is not possible to say how soon we may be able to alter the conditions, which we are most anxious to do.