§ Mr. CAUTLEYasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the fees payable by a parent for a cadet at Woolwich Academy now amount to £500 for the two years he is required by the Army authorities to remain there, and that such fees restrict the choice of cadets to the sons of rich parents, and are thus contrary to the policy of selecting officers from the best brains of the country; and whether, since after having passed into Woolwich the cadet becomes a servant of the State, he will consider whether cadets ought to be entirely, or at any rate partially, maintained by the State?
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSI am aware that the maximum fee payable is £200 a year, with £100 for uniform and books, but prize cadetships are awarded accord-742W ing to order of merit in the entrance examinations, and the fees are also reduced to amounts varying from £105 to nil in the case of the sons of regular officers and men. In these circumstances, I do not think the suggestions made are accurate, and I would point out that cadets are not yet the servants of the State. They are being educated for their profession, and I believe that the fees charged, which do not cover the full cost to the State, compare favourably with those charged at public schools and similar institutions where other boys and young men are being similarly educated.