§ 11. Colonel ASHLEYasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the war bounty is now limited to men who are not above the age of fifty-one years, he will again consider whether men of that age who have completed thirteen years' service may be released from the Army in the same way that the limitation of the bounty awarded under Army Order 209 of 1916 to men under the age of forty-one carried with it the compensating advantages for men of the age of forty-one and upwards, that they could claim their discharge if they had completed thirteen years' service?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)My hon. and gallant Friend appears to be under a misapprehension. Any soldier who was serving on an Army engagement entered into before the outbreak of war which expires during the War, and who is retained under the Military Service Acts, is eligible for the bounty irrespective of his age at the date of being retained.
§ Colonel ASHLEYIs the hon. Gentleman aware that that is not the question I asked. The question I asked is whether a man of fifty-one can be released.
§ Mr. FORSTERMy hon. and gallant Friend says "in view of the fact that the war bounty is now limited to men who are not above the age of fifty-one." None of us was quite clear what he had in mind.