§ LORD SYDENHAMMy Lords, my noble friend LORD LAMINGTON is prevented by his military duties from being in his place this evening, and he has asked me to the Paymaster-General the question standing in his name—viz., Why Yeomanry regiments whose 1st Line are serving abroad dismounted, and whose 2nd or 3rd Lines are not up to strength, should be prohibited from taking recruits over 5ft. 6ins in height." The point that my noble friend particularly wishes to bring out is this. The position of a Yeomanry regiment which has one of its units serving abroad is special and peculiar, and if such a omanry regiment is restricted in its recruiting operations it may find not only that it cannot supply the drafts required for the unit abroad, but hat it is not able to make itself an efficient unit for service at home. That, I believe, is the present position of the Lanaikshire Yeomanry with which my noble friend is connected. Such a position, if it exists, must necessarily be both discouraging alike to the officers and the men. It has been announced publicly that the men who have been grouped under Lord Derby's scheme are still to be permitted to recruit whenever they choose into particular units, but I understand that cases arise in which nits which could recruit men are forbidden fit do so. I do not know whether that is the case. I hope it is not; for it seems to me that the willing man, if he desires to go into a particular unit, should be encouraged to do so.
§ THE PAYMASTER-GENERAL (LORD NEWTON)My Lords, the steps of which the noble Lord complains have been dictated by the necessity of diverting the flow of recruits as much as possible into the Territorial Infantry and into Yeomanry regiments which have a 1st Line unit serving dismounted abroad. On October 6 a general minimum height of 5ft. 3in. and a maximum height of 5ft. 6in. for all Yeomanry regiments was prescribed. A month following recruiting for all Yeomanry regiments whose 1st Line units were not being employed dismounted on active service was stopped altogether. At the beginning of the present month units whose 1st Line were employed dismounted on active service were allowed to abandon the height standard altogether. Therefore I think my noble friend in putting this Question must have been under some misapprehension. The statement I have 646 given is corroborated by private information which I happened to obtain this afternoon before coming down to the House.