THE DUKE OF ST. ALBANSasked the Under Secretary of State for War, Whether he will state the reason for withholding the pay for trumpeters in Yeomanry regiments; the saving which it is estimated will be effected; and, 1255 whether lieutenant colonels commanding these regiments had been previously communicated with on the subject? He was aware that the Commander-in-Chief had issued a Circular, in which he said that the Yeomanry might draw trumpeters from the Regular Forces; but these Forces could not supply the requisite number. There was an impression in the Yeomanry Cavalry that they had been unfairly dealt with in the matter by the War Office. He anticipated that his noble Friend would reply that what the War Office had done was in accordance with the recommendations of a Committee appointed last year; but of the eleven Members composing that Committee seven were on the Staff of the War Office and only four were Yeomanry officers; so, although it might be said that "the Committee" recommended, the War Office were first responsible for the recommendations. He was afraid the War Office only accepted as much of the recommendations as pleased them.
§ EARL CADOGANsaid, that though the first of his noble Friend's Questions did not state accurately what had been really done, his noble Friend had rightly anticipated what his reply to that Question would be. There were only four Yeomanry officers on the Committee of last year; but he thought that number was sufficient, remembering that on this question of trumpeters the Committee took the evidence of several Yeomanry officers. He would read to their Lordships, answers given by some of those witnesses. These Questions and Answers occurred in the examination of Major David Scotland, Cheshire Yeomanry—
What work did the trumpet-major himself do in the course of the year?—He had nothing to do; he was employed civilly as a crier in Knutsford Court.Then he did hold a civil employment?—Yes, he did.(Sir F. FitzWygram).—The trumpet-major, if I understand you rightly, is absolutely unemployed, except for six days, without counting the marching out and marching in days. Do you not think that £36 is rather a useless expenditure on a man for those six days?—Yes, I do.And that some other arrangement might be better?—Yes; I think that a trumpeter might be detached from a Cavalry regiment for the purpose, just for three weeks or a month, because with us our trumpeters are assembled about a fortnight or three weeks before permanent duty 1256 —they have four days' absolute instruction under the trumpet-major, and those four days and the permanent duty are all that the trumpet-major does in the year. He is the best paid man in the regiment for what he does.In the examination of Viscount Malden, Lieutenant Colonel of the Hertfordshire Yeomanry, there was this passage:—What does the trumpet-major do during the year generally?—The present one is armourer sergeant at St. Albans; he keeps a private shop, and is gunmaker.He does nothing for the Government all the year round, except the eight days on which he is out?—Nothing.Coming to the evidence of Lord Cork, Lieutenant Colonel of the North Somerset Yeomanry, he found these Questions and Answers:—You have one on the permanent staff, have you not?—Yes, he is trumpeter on the permanent staff.What does he do?—Nothing, except during the training week and during the troop drills.In the Report of the Committee there was this passage:—We have considered the position and duties of trumpeters on the permanent Staff, and find from the evidence that their services are only required in that capacity during the period of permanent duty. We cannot, therefore, recommend the continuance of such a permanent appointment, but in lieu thereof we suggest the employment of a qualified Yeoman during the permanent duty, and an extra allowance of, say 3s. a-day might, we think, with propriety, he granted him while so employed; or a qualified trumpeter might be furnished from the Regular Army during the permanent duty.The War Office had acted on that recommendation. The saving was £1,400 a-year. With regard to the last of the Questions of his noble Friend, he had to say that it was not, he believed, customary to consult the lieutenant-colonels on all occasions of proposed changes in matters connected with the Yeomanry generally, but only in respect of matters concerning their own regiments.
THE EARL OF CORKthought that one trumpeter for each troop, instead of one for the whole corps, ought to be allowed during permanent duty. As it was, by the present arrangements the expense of the troop trumpeters fell upon the captains, instead of upon the Contingent Fund as formerly. In his regiment it had been the custom to summon the men of each troop by sound of trumpet, but you could not summon men by sound of trumpet if you had no trumpet.