§ MR. CROSFIELD (Warrington)To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in October, 1901, two extra battalions of the King's Liverpool Regiment were disbanded; that the officers who then became supernumerary have only just been absorbed, owing to which cause promotion has been exceedingly slow, especially in the junior ranks; and whether in view of these facts, he will take measures to prevent officers being brought into the King's Liverpool Regiment from other regiments.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The circumstances of the case were fully considered, and there did not appear to be any reason why this regiment should not take its quota of the supernumeraries like the other regiments. The hon. Member may not be aware that the regiment got the entire benefit of the promotion entailed by the augmentation of 1900, which had only been partially carried out when it was abandoned in the following year. No officers were brought in from other regiments as in the case of other augmented regiments. So far, therefore, from the officers suffering by the partial augmentation and subsequent reduction the reverse has been the case.