§ MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, in view of the fact that for twenty-four years majors of marines have automatically received promotion to brevet lieutenant-colonel on the completion of seven years' service, irrespective of any qualifying examination for the substantive rank, and that this has been done under an Order in Council, whether the Board will take into consideration the hardship inflicted by the Memorandum issued by the Marine Office in January being brought into force immediately on issue, so that one officer who had assumed the higher rank before the receipt of the Memorandum on the Cape station had again to revert to the lower rank.
(Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) It is not desirable that an officer of the Royal Marines, who is not qualified for higher rank in his own corps, should be 440 given that higher rank in the Army. If, however, an officer has not had proper opportunities for passing, his case would be specially considered. Nothing is; known of an officer on the Cape station having assumed a higher rank and having had to revert to a lower rank. No officer would be justified in assuming a rank which is not conferred on him by proper authority.
§ MR. BELLAIRSTo ask the Secretary to the Admiralty why the Order in Council of 1883 governing the promotion of majors of the Royal Marines has not been carried out in the case of two officers now serving; and whether any Order in Council amending the regulations for promotion has been promulgated.
(Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson) The Order in Council indicated is that of 19th March, 1883, which provides that majors shall be "eligible" for promotion by brevet after certain specified length of service. Two officers now serving who have the qualifying length of service have not been recommended for this promotion by brevet, because they have not passed the examination for the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The Order in Council in question has not been amended.