§ 57. Captain HACKINGasked the Secretary of State for War whether the regimental pay of officers in the Infantry was increased to equal the total of regimental and corps pay of the corresponding junior ranks in the Royal Engineers and the Royal Army Service Corps, in order that such action should tend towards equality of pay in the different Services; whether he will extend this equality of pay to gratuities on discharge; and whether, in view of the fact that gratuities are calculated on regimental pay only, all officers in the Infantry, on discharge, enjoy an advantage of larger gratuities than the corresponding ranks in the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Service Corps, and not only lieutenant-colonels and majors, as is generally supposed?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am informed that the increase of regimental pay given to Infantry officers brought the subalterns level with those of the Army Service Corps but not with those of the Engineers, and did not bring the higher ranks level with the Army Service Corps or Engineers when Corps and Engineers pay are included. The war gratuities to Regular officers are the same in all Arms, but the gratuities paid to temporary officers under Article 497 of the Pay Warrant are calculated on the regimental pay of the several Arms. This goes some way in the direction of leveling up the gratuities of Infantry officers. A complete equalisation of pay between different branches of the Service has never been intended.
§ 59. Mr. CROOKSasked whether any change is contemplated in the pay and emoluments of quartermasters; and whether he will consider the case of district officers, Royal Artillery, from the same standpoint?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe pay and emoluments of quartermasters together with those of district officers, Royal Artillery, will be considered in connection with the emoluments of officers in general for the after-war Army.