Coastguards Royal Marines—Number of Commission Officers and Musicians. (Hansard, 15 March 1906)

§ MR. BYLES (Salford, N.)

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what is the reason for the increase in the number of commissioned officers of coastguard, and of commissioned officers and musicians of Royal Marines in Estimates, which show a reduction in the numbers of the coastguard and of the Royal Marines.

(Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) Owing to the abolition of the cruiser sailing service, a certain number of commissioned chief officers became redundant and are being absorbed into coastguard service ashore in lieu of chief officers of warrant rank. The increase, therefore, is only apparent, as the readjustments have reduced the total number of officers of the shore service and the cruiser service combined by twelve. There is no change in the total number of commissioned officers of the Royal Marines. The increase of two in the number under Vote 1 is counter-balanced by a corresponding decrease in the numbers under other Votes. The increase in the number of musicians, Royal Marines, is due (1) to naval band ratings being replaced by Marine bandsmen under the new scheme; and (2) to the numbers for 1906–7 including bank ranks, buglers and musicians, whereas the numbers for the previous year included buglers and certain musicians only, the band ranks and the rest of the musicians having been included in the rank and file numbers as explained in note B on page 20 of the Navy Estimates for 1906–7.

Years.	United Kingdom.	Germany.
Average Price of English wheat. Per Quarter.	Average Import Price of Wheat. Per Quarter.	Average Price of Wheat at Berlin. Per Quarter.	Average Import Price of Wheat. Per Quarter.
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
1901	26	9	28	4	35	8	28	10
1902	28	1	18	7	35	6	18	6
1903	26	9	29	1	35	1	28	6
1904	28	4	30	0	38	0	30	3
1905	29	8	31	0	38	1	30	11