§ 62. Colonel YATEasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that lieutenants commanding companies at the front are to be promoted to temporary captains and officers 1170 commanding battalions to temporary lieutenant-colonels, but that no captains are to be promoted to temporary majors, and considering that the widows of senior captains who may lose their lives will thus be deprived of the higher pensions that they would have been entitled to had their husbands been promoted to the temporary rank of major, he will issue a notification that the widows of captains who would, in the ordinary course have been entitled to promotion to temporary majors shall not be deprived of their majors' pension by reason of their husbands not having been gazetted to that temporary rank?
§ Mr. TENNANTPromotion to temporary major is given in cases where a captain is left in command of a battalion; but it is not practicable to impute to an officer a rank which he did not hold, in cases where such promotion is not given, in order to pay his widow a higher pension.
§ Colonel YATEWas not the whole object of this temporary promotion to give higher pensions to widows? Are not all these officers specially deserving of every consideration as regards pensions to their widows?
§ Mr. TENNANTHigher rank, of course, carries higher pay, and the whole object was really to do justice. I really do not think any injustice is done.