§ SIR JOHN COLOMB (Great Yarmouth)To ask the Secretary of State for War if he will say whether the terms stated in telegrams numbers 17 and 18,:3rd October, 1899, Cd. 18, under which over-sea colonial contingents were sent to South Africa in 1899, also governed the despatch of similar contingents which went to South Africa in subsequent years; and, if not, what were the terms upon which the later contingents were despatched; and what were the numbers of men despatched from the several colonies under the different arrangements
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Brodrick.) The later over-sea colonial contingents were not sent to South Africa on precisely similar terms as those which governed the first. The conditions are too varied to admit of my including them in an answer to a Question. The numbers were as follows; 1st Contingent, Canada, 1,105; 1st Contingent New South Wales, 461; 1st Contingent, South Australia, 121; 1st Contingent, 1109 Queensland, 248; 1st Contingent, Victoria, 240; 1st Contingent, New Zealand, 203; 1st Contingent, Tasmania, 76; 1st Contingent, West Australia, 125; 1st Contingent, Lumsdens Horse, 289; 1st Contingent, Ceylon, 122; 2nd Contingent, Canada, 1,823; 2nd Contingent, New South Wales, 821; 2nd Contingent, South Australia, 110; 2nd, Contingent, Queensland, 146; 2nd Contingent, Victoria, 249; 2nd Contingent, New Zealand, 244; 2nd Contingent, Tasmania, 45; 2nd Contingent, West Australia, 97; 3rd Australian Contingent, Australian Bushmen, and 4th Australian Contingent, Imperial Bushmen, 3,279; 3rd New Zealand Contingent, New Zealand Roughriders, 249; 4th New Zealand Contingent, New Zealand Roughriders, 541; 5th New Zealand Contingent, New Zealand Roughriders, 468; 5th and 6th Australian Contingents and Drafts, 5,540: 6th and 7th New Zealand Contingents. 1,118; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles, and 10th Canadian Field Hospital, 2,885; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Australian Commonwealth Contingents, 4,020; 8th, 9th, and 10th New Zealand Contingents, 3,284; Ceylon Volunteer Company, 100. Speaking generally the majority of the later over-sea colonial contingents were enlisted for one year or the period of the war. As regards pay the first two contingents received ordinary Army rates, which I believe were augmented by the various colonies on a basis of 3s. 4d. a day for privates (others pro rata.) The later contingents received Imperial Yeomanry rates of pay from Imperial Funds.