§ Mr. TOUCHEasked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether, under the regulations governing the promotion of sergeant-instructors of a Territorial Force unit, Royal Garrison Artillery, the experience of two sergeants who joined the permanent staff before 1st September, 1910, one with eighteen years' service and two years' seniority as a sergeant, the other with sixteen years' service and eight years' seniority in the rank of sergeant, 438W would be as follows: on completion of twenty-one years' service the man with eighteen years would be promoted over the head of the man with sixteen years' service, thereby becoming a staff-sergeant, although the sixteen years' man is very much his senior in the rank of sergeant; can he say whether the disability imposed on the man of senior service is unintentional; is it proposed to take any steps to remove it; and (2) whether an Artillery sergeant-instructor who joined the permanent staff of a Territorial Force unit before 1st September, 1910, has no further chance of promotion until he has completed twenty-one years' service, and then only if he is allowed to continue in the Service beyond twenty-one years, whereas a sergeant-instructor to a Territorial Force unit, probably junior in rank, but with longer service, gets promoted staff-sergeant on reaching twenty-one years' service over the heads of sergeants senior in rank, but with less service; and, if so, will steps be taken to remedy these uneven conditions?
§ Colonel SEELYThe facts are as stated in the questions. As regards the general question involved, I am afraid I can add nothing to the reply which I gave to similar questions put on this subject by the hon. Gentleman on Wednesday, the 12th instant.
§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the number of non-commissioned officers and of men of the Territorial Force who will have become time-expired between 1st October, 1912, and the 1st of January, 1914?
§ Colonel SEELYThe returns received in the War Office only show those due to go in yearly periods from 1st October to 30th September. The numbers due to go between 1st October, 1912, and 30th September, 1913, amount to 114,621.
§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the Secretary of State for War the deficit on 1st March, 1913, or, if the returns are unavailable for that date, on the 1st February, 1913, of officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, respectively, in the Territorial Force?
§ Colonel SEELYI would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given yesterday to a similar question put by the hon. and gallant Gentleman the junior Member for Bath.
439W
§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the Secretary of State for War what is the estimate for wastage in the Territorial Force for causes other than termination of engagement or transfer to other units between 1st October, 1912, and 1st January, 1914; and, having regard to the Return published in the General Annual Report on the British Army for 1912, page 121, which gives the information that for the period under review 28,256 non-commissioned officers and men left the force for causes other than termination of engagement or transfer to other units, if it is necessary to add the estimated amount of wastage for causes other than termination of engagement or transfer to other units for the period between 1st October, 1912, and January, 1914, to the number of non-commissioned officers and men due to become time-expired in the same number of months in order to obtain the full total of wastage from the Territorial Force between these dates, namely, 1st October, 1912, and 1st January, 1914?
§ Colonel SEELYAs in the case of question No. 113, the period 1st October, 1912, to 30th September, 1913, has been taken for calculation. On the assumption that the recruits for the current year are the same number as last year, the estimated waste for this period for causes other than termination of engagement or transfer to other units is about 27,600. The reply to the second part of the question is in the negative, because the method proposed for calculating the total wastage makes no allowance for re-engagements.
§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the Secretary of State for War whether the Territorial Force for the year ending 30th September, 1910, numbered more than 267,096 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, and the number absent from camp fewer than 25,995; if more or if fewer, respectively, if he will say how many; if he will say whether, for the year ending 30th September, 1911, the numbers of officers, non-commissioned officers, and men were more than 264,163, and the numbers of absentees from camp were fewer than 33,542; and if more or if fewer, respectively, if he will say how many; and whether, if the force in 1912 numbered 261,742 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men (Official Report, House of Commons, 21st October, 1912), and the absentees from (Cd. 6505) numbered 34,712, he will say what steps are taken, as the force annually decreases in numbers while 440W the number of untrained men annually increases, to prevent the efficiency of the Territorial Force as a whole being annually diminished?
§ Colonel SEELYThe figures are correct except those for 1912, which, as will be seen from reference to the General Annual Report, are slightly modified. The figures for camp attendance should be taken as a whole when considering the general efficiency of the force, and it will be seen from the Annual Report that the figures for attendance at camp for more than eight days have considerably increased.