43. Major HOPEasked whether, when men of Class J. National Reserve enlist, they are warned that they thereby forfeit their claim to the £10 bounty due if called up for service?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Harold Baker)Unless the information is volunteered, a recruiting officer has no means of knowing whether a man who presents himself is a National Reservist, but a man who has been properly called up and is eligible for the gratuity is provided with a certificate to that effect.
44. Major HOPEasked whether a man who on 4th August applied to the proper authority to be enrolled in Class I. of the Naval Reserve is eligible for the £10 857 bounty if, owing to unavoidable delay, his enrolment was not technically completed until after 10th August?
Major HOPEWill the hon. Gentleman give any principle that should have guided these men who applied to be enrolled in the National Reserve and afterwards enlisted?
§ Mr. BAKERIf the hon. Member can tell me the sort of case he has in his mind, or give me an illustration, I will endeavour to deal with it.
§ 47. Mr. HUNTasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in one company of the Special Re-servo there are in one tent sixteen men, of whom fifteen are old Regular soldiers, most of whom have served in war, and one who has never been in the Army, and that the one, because a National Reservist, was offered and received a bounty of £10 for enlisting, whilst none of the fifteen old Regular soldiers received a halfpenny; and can he say what he proposes to do to deal with this state of affairs?
§ Mr. BAKERThe hon. Member appears to be misinformed. National Reservists do not receive a bounty for enlisting, but for undertaking in advance, during peace, to come up for service when called upon. Special Reservists receive annual retaining fees.
§ Mr. BAKERI do not think any further information is needed, because I am afraid that the statement in the hon. Member's question is not correct.
§ Mr. HUNTMay I ask the hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that I got a letter from the single man who was in the tent? Can I go further than that?
§ 59. Mr. WORTHINGTON EVANSasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he can now state the result of the reconsideration of the refusal to give the £10 bounty to men in Class 1 of the National Reserve who enlisted without waiting to be called up?
§ Mr. H. BAKERI am not yet in a position to make a statement on this subject.
§ Mr. WORTHINGTON EVANSWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether within a few days he will be able to make a statement?
§ 61. Mr. BRIDGEMANasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he has received representations of the sense of injustice amongst Army medical officers on account of the bounty of £60 being given to medical officers who now join for the first time and refused to those who have served regularly with Territorial Forces; if he will give the reason for this inequality of treatment; and if he can reconsider the decision?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANCould the hon. Gentleman give us the reasons?