§ Mr. HURDasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office what is this total annual cost of the publication of the Army List; what is the number of persons employed in its production; and, seeing the embarrassment in national finance, whether the issue could be made yearly instead of monthly?
Sir A. WILLIAMSONThe whole question of the size and frequency of issue of the Army List has recently been fully considered by a Committee and the Army Council, who regard a monthly Army List as absolutely essential in the interests of efficient administration. At the present time the book is in process of reduction to its pre-War dimensions, and any estimate of the cost of production would at the moment be difficult to ascertain, and be of no particular value. The staff has been reduced from over 100 to under 40, and further reductions will 213W shortly take place; but this staff is employed on the quarterly Army List, including the compilation of the War Services, as well as on the monthly list and other miscellaneous work.