§ 78. Mr. HOHLERasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the block in promotion that exists in the armourer and artificer sections of the Army Ordnance Corps; will he, with a view to remedy this, cause inquiry to be made as to whether commissions may properly be given to men in these sections; and whether others might properly be appointed inspectors of ordnance machinery?
§ Mr. TENNANTI am informed that the prospects of promotion of armament artificers compare very favourably with those of any other branch of the Army Ordnance Corps. On enlistment they are at once made staff sergeants, so that they are practically certain of a quartermaster sergeant's pension. Some of them can well expect to become warrant officers, and a recent Amendment to the 1177 Royal Warrant has provided permanent commissions for six of them as assistant inspectors of ordnance machinery. In the armourer section the majority start as boys and armourer privates and on a vacancy occurring they go straight to staff sergeant and further promotions follow on much the same lines as armament artificers. Commissions have not, hitherto, been open to this section, but the question of according a limited number of commissions on somewhat similar lines to those obtaining with the armament artificers is at present receiving consideration.