§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the possibility of amending the regulations under which the soldier school assistants in the Royal Marines are employed; and whether he will allow noncommissioned officers in the Royal Marines employed in the schools to continue to serve in the divisional and depot schools, provided they have satisfactorily performed their duties for three years, and to remain in such employment until pensioned, instead of as at present being obliged to retire to ordinary corps duty afloat and ashore?
§ Mr. McKENNANon-commissioned officers employed in the schools are all trained in naval gunnery, musketry, and infantry duties, and are available for duty with the Fleet when required. It is therefore necessary that they should not be kept too long on shore in the schools, but should take their turn at sea in order to maintain their efficiency as marines.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the only class of warrant officer in His Majesty's Services not eligible for promotion to higher rank is the Royal Marines schoolmaster; whether he will explain why there should be this difference between a schoolmaster in the Royal Navy and a schoolmaster in the Royal Marines; whether he is aware that a chief schoolmaster in the Navy gets £246 a year and a head schoolmaster in the Army gets £200 a year, while a warrant officer Royal Marine schoolmaster has to be content with a salary of £137, and that the pensions in the three cases are £150, £100, and £82 respectively; whether he can see his way to place the schoolmaster in the Royal Marines on the same footing as regards 2569W salary and pension as the schoolmaster in the Royal Navy; and, if not, will he explain to the House the reason for making these distinctions between persons who do practically the same work?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; there are other warrant officers who do not rise above that rank. With regard to the second and fifth parts of the question, the duties of naval and marine schoolmasters are not the same. The figures given for naval and marine schoolmasters are the maximum obtainable in each case in pay—exclusive of allowances—and pension. The figures given for the Army schoolmaster appear to be incorrect. The maximum pay for the Army warrant officer schoolmaster is £127 15s., an allowance of £18 5s. being added to this in certain posts, and the maximum pension is £91 5s. The question of the status and pay of marine schoolmasters has been recently under review, and it is not considered desirable to re-open it now.