§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Secretary of State for War whether the officers of Territorial Forces attending a school of instruction are entitled to the pay and allowances of their rank with 4s. per diem messing allowance; and, seeing that the number of officers attending such schools has shown a decrease coinciding with an Army Order making issue of pay and allowances to officers while attending a school provisional on their being able to prove actual financial loss to at least the amount of pay and allowances claimed, whether he will take steps to ensure that all officers attending schools of instruction are given the pay and allowances mentioned?
§ Mr. HALDANE:Will the hon. Member kindly refer to my replies to questions on this subject put by the hon. Member for the Rye Division of Sussex on 2nd March, and by the hon. Member for Hertford on the 9th March, to which I have at present nothing to add.
§ Mr. VERNEYasked what is the value and efficiency of the musketry course of the Territorial Force as compared with that of the old Volunteer force and of the Militia respectively, with regard to the training of recruits and with regard to trained men who have completed their course of training as recruits; whether, in regard to the latter class of men, 23 rounds only have to be fired by each man in the year, of which eight rounds are rapid firing of an inaccurate kind, and that, to qualify as an efficient, each man need only make a very small minimum score out of the maximum attainable by accurate shooting; and whether any, and what, reforms are now contemplated in the shooting of the Territorial Force?
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§ Mr. HALDANE:The system of musketry training in the Territorial Force is considered by military experts to be immeasurably superior to that which obtained in the Volunteers. The result of the musketry training of trained men for 1909 was considered to be very satisfactory; that of recruits, though satisfactory, was not so good, as the test was somewhat too severe. The standard has accordingly been slightly lowered. The Militia course was not analagous to that for the Volunteers or Territorial Force. All Territorial soldiers are expected to fire ninety rounds unless they qualify in the standard test, when it is considered that they have reached a slightly higher standard of efficiency than the average European conscript, and that no further practice during the year is necessary In such cases ammunition may be saved and usefully employed in the further training of indifferent shots. In view of the very satisfactory character of the new system it is not proposed to carry out any further reforms.
§ Mr. LANE-FOXasked whether, in the event of the majority of the Imperial Yeomanry accepting the Imperial Service conditions, the sword will be added to their equipment; and, if not, how can Yeomanry called up for service abroad and armed only as mounted infantry, act with cavalry?
§ Mr. HALDANE:It is not proposed to add a sword to the equipment of the Yeomanry, even in the case of those who accept Imperial Service conditions, as the short period of their annual instruction is barely sufficient for their training in the use of horse and rifle. In the event of their offer to serve abroad being accepted it is not intended that Yeomanry should be sent there without a period of training on embodiment.
§ Mr. LANE-FOXasked how the census of horses is to be kept up to date, and, if this is to be done annually by the county associations, what allowance will be made to them for the cost of the record and annual classification of the horses in their area?
§ Mr. HALDANE:The police authorities have undertaken to make a census every year in December, which will be used by the association's collectors for the purpose of keeping their lists up to date. Associations are asked to satisfy themselves that this is being done, but I do not think it calls for a special grant.
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