§ CAPTAIN NORTON) (Newington, W.I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, in view of the fact that civil surgeons employed in South Africa as well as civil veterinary surgeons employed both at home and abroad and not holding commissions receive a gratuity, whether he can explain why civil surgeons who have been employed doing military duty at Home are not entitled to the gratuity.
*LORD STANLEYThe civil surgeons employed in South Africa and civil veterinary surgeons employed at home were engaged under a contract, one of the conditions of which gave them a right to a gratuity of sixty-one days' pay on completion of twelve months' service of cessation of engagement. The civil surgeons employed at home were not engaged on such a contract, were employed purely as civilian surgeons, and therefore have no claim whatever to such gratuity.
§ CAPTAIN NORTONDoes the noble Lord deny that they are both under the Royal Warrant which was issued in Army Order 186, and which distinctly says "ex-officers of civilians."
*LORD STANLEYI do not deny anything, but I do say that two separate contracts were made, one of which gave veterinary surgeons sixty-one days' pay, while the other, into which the civil surgeons entered of their own free will, did not give it.
§ CAPTAIN NORTONThe Secretary for War gave me an answer in an opposite sense some time ago.