HC Deb 21 April 1904 vol 133 cc842-3
SIR CARNE RASCH (Essex, Chelmsford)

To ask the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been called to the reply of the late Mr. Stanhope, when Secretary of State for War, given to the late General Sir C. Fraser on 1st December, 1890, and afterwards promulgated in successive Royal Warrants, that promotion by selection to fill an appointment from the ranks of colonel and major-general would not be brought into force until the number of general officers was reduced to 100; and to the fact that a Royal Warrant was issued on 5th November, 1899, in contravention of this undertaking; and will ho take steps for giving consideration to those officers whose prospects of promotion and pension were thus destroyed.

(Answered by Mr. Secretary Arnold Forster.) My attention has been drawn to this matter It must be pointed out that for many years prior to 1901, it had been open to the Commander-in-Chief to specially recommend that any vacancy in the rank of major-general should be filled by selection to the exclusion of all the senior colonels, promotion by seniority being thus practically abolished. Under these circumstances it cannot be admitted that the prospects of the officers referred to were such as would justify their cases being specially dealt with, and it is regretted that it is not possible to extend any exceptional treatment to them.