LORD RAGLANMy Lords, I rise to ask the Under-Secretary of State for War: (1) The number of officers required for the Territorial Army, ex- 1503 cluding the Yeomanry; (2) The number of officers who have transferred from the Volunteers to the Territorial Army; (3) The number of officers now serving as Volunteer officers; (4) Excluding the Yeomanry, on 1st May 8,520 men had transferred to the Territorial Army for four years, and 72,179 men for the period of one year only, with the right to claim a free discharge at the end of twelve months. Will the 72,179 men who have transferred to the Territorial Army on the understanding that they can claim a free discharge at the end of twelve months be held to serve for an extra year in the event of the Territorial Force being embodied; (5) The number of recruits who have joined the Territorial Army since the date of its formation; (6) The number of officers and men, including Yeomanry, wanted to complete the establishment of the Territorial Force; (7) What is meant by not allowing a Volunteer unit to transfer to the Territorial Army unless it has enlisted 30 per cent. of the required establishment? The required establishment of an Infantry battalion of the Territorial Army is 1,000 men. Is a Volunteer battalion, therefore, required to transfer 300 men to the Territorial Army before being counted as a unit of the Territorial Army? (8) In the case of a Volunteer battalion with an establishment of 600 men and a strength of 300 men, would every man serving be required to transfer to the Territorial Army before the battalion was counted as a Territorial unit, or would 30 per cent. of the men serving, that is to Say ninety men, or less than 10 per cent. of the required establishment of a Territorial battalion, be accepted as sufficient to justify the transfer? (9) In leaflet No. 2, issued by the War Office, and setting forth the terms of service in the Territorial Force, it is stated that—
The Territorial soldier is entitled to pay at army rates, including the extra emoluments paid by certain corps while in camp. He does not draw the threepence a day messing allowance given to the Regular Army, but a daily allowance of 1s. would be paid to his commanding officer to improve his messing.Will the extra emoluments referred to, and a daily allowance of 1s. be continued to the Territorial soldier when called out on permanent service, or will the pay and allowances of the Territorial soldier 1504 during embodiment be precisely the same as those given to the corresponding; branches in the Regular Army? (10) Is it the fact that between 4th April and the present date 208 officers have resigned their commissions in the Volunteers? and (11) What was the percentage of men under twenty years of age in the Volunteer force according to the last annual return, and may not a similar percentage be accepted as true of the Territorial Force?
LORD LUCASMy Lords, in answer to the first Question, the total number of officers required for the Territorial Army, excluding the Yeomanry, is 10,578. As to the second Question, I am sorry I cannot at the moment give the noble Lord the information he requires. We have not yet been able to make up the numbers. I am not quite clear what the noble Lord means by this third Question. I take it that he wants the number of officers who are still holding their commissions as Volunteers officers, not counting those who have transferred but deducting all those who have resigned That number is 8,543. In regard to the fourth Question, the noble Lord will find that Question 15 (d) on the attestation paper makes it clear that the 72,179 men to whom he refers may be required to prolong their service for a further period not exceeding twelve months in the event of the force being embodied. As to the fifth Question, the number of recruits of all arms who had joined the Territorial Army up to 1st May, which is the latest date to which we have the figures, was 4,936. I cannot give the noble Lord the number of officers in reply to his sixth Question, but the number of non-commissioned officers and men wanted to complete the establishment of the Territorial Force on 1st May was 193,790 of all arms. With regard to the seventh Question, 30 per cent. of the establishment is laid down in the Army Order of 18th March.
LORD LUCASYes. So that in the case the noble Lord quotes in his eighth Question the battalion would have to raise the necessary 300 men before it 1505 was recognised. That was made clear in a circular memorandum to the County Associations, dated 11th April. As to the ninth Question, the Army Order of 18th March, Part II., Paragraph (1), states that on mobilisation the emoluments of the Territorial Force will conform in all respects to those of the Regular Army. The messing allowance will be made the same as it is in the Regulars. The emoluments which that Army Order refers to are the special pay, engineer pay and corps pay, which will be drawn by the Territorial Force exactly the same as they are now drawn in the Regular Army. The Answer to the tenth Question is that 207 officers have resigned their commissions; and, in reply to the last Question, the percentage of Volunteers under twenty on 1st November last, including boys and trumpeters under seventeen, was a little under 28½ per cent. There is no reason to suppose that that percentage will be very much varied in the case of the Territorial Force.
§ LORD HENEAGEMy Lords, I rise to ask the noble Lord the Under-Secretary of State for War two Questions of which I have given him private notice—first, whether in addition to paying the rent due for ranges for last year, the Associations can pay for the rent of ranges for the current year in this year's accounts, or whether such rent must be carried forward into the next year's accounts in order to comply with War Office methods for book-keeping? Secondly, whether, having regard to Paragraphs 65 and 85 of the Financial Memorandum circulated in March, 1908, the Associations can advance money to commanding officers for the current-expenses of taking units into camp out of their Grant for administrative purposes; and if so, whether they can requisition the War Office for repayment of the money so advanced at once, as grants for camp expenses are not paid through the Associations, but through the general officer commanding the district.
LORD LUCASIf the rent was paid till April last, and it is paid annually, naturally the Association would not tender the rent again, as it would not fall due till April, 1909. As to the second question, the County Associa- 1506 tions are responsible for the travelling of the troops to camp, but are not responsible for the expenses incurred by them in camp. The Association can make an application to the War Office to have sums advanced to cover travelling expenses, but the money spent in camp comes out of the training grant.