§ Mr. HUNTasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, with reference to Table I., page 103, of the General Annual Report of the British Army, 1912, he can say what punishments have been inflicted on the fourteen officers and 1,455 non-commissioned officers and men of the Special Reserve shown therein as absent without leave?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Colonel Seely)This information is not available at the War Office, as the annual retunrs contain no details from which the statistics required could be compiled.
§ Mr. HUNTasked what was the average cost of a Militiaman in 1905–6, and the estimated cost of each Special Reservist in 1912–13?
§ Colonel SEELYThe average cost of each force (all ranks) per head is as follows:—
| Militia, 1905–6 | £20 | 8 | 5 |
| Special Reserve, 1912–13 | 27 | 6 | 9 |
§ Mr. HUNTasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the information could be supplied by the medical officers and their staffs, he could say what was the average age, height, weight, and chest measurement of the 20,616 recruits taken for the Special Reserve in the year ending 30th September, 1911?
§ Colonel SEELYThis information could only be obtained by calling for a special return from the medical officers concerned, and it is not considered that the advantages to be obtained from it are sufficient to justify the labour involved in compilation.
§ Colonel SEELYNo, I think the Army is suffering from too great a number of returns rather than too small a number. I hope the hon. Gentleman will not press for this return as to 20,000 persons. It will involve great labour.
§ Colonel SEELYNo, I understand doctors are particularly busy just now.
MARQUESS of TULLIBARDINEasked what are the reasons of Army policy, as opposed to financial policy, which necessitates that privates in the Special Reserve should not be paid separation allowance, while those of the Regular and Territorial forces are paid such allowance?
§ Colonel SEELYAs regards the Regulars, there has been no change in the relative advantages of the two descriptions of Service, and the Army Council are not satisfied that any is necessary. As regards the Territorial Force, the terms and conditions differ widely from those of the Special Reserve in nearly every point—pay, bounties, clothing, service, training—and it is the policy of the Army Council to deal with each independently.
MARQUESS of TULLIBARDINEIs it the policy of the Army Council that the Special Reserve, who are drawn from the poorest class probably of the three, and who serve a considerably longer period than the Territorial Force, should not have a separation allowance, while those of the Territorial Force have?
§ Colonel SEELYThe conditions are wholly different. There is a large bounty payable to the Special Reserve which is not payable to the Territorial Force. That is one difference.