§ Mr. Bellengerasked the Secretary of State for War what is the reason for a proportion of the subalterns serving with the Royal Army Pay Corps receiving commissions as lieutenants on first appointment; and what is rate of pay for such officers?
§ Captain MargessonIn the period before and immediately after the outbreak of war, a limited number of members of the Army Officers' Emergency Reserve were selected for emergency appointments as lieutenant and paymaster in the Royal Army Pay Corps with a minimum rate of pay of 16s. 4d. a day rising according to service. When this number was exhausted, all new entrants to the corps were offered emergency commissions as second-lieutenants on regimental rates of pay at us. a day, unless they had sufficient prior service to reckon for promotion under the terms of the pay warrant. Officers in the latter category are commissioned as lieutenants at a minimum of 13s. a day and are required to serve on regimental rates for 18 months. Upon the satisfactory completion of that period, they are graded as paymasters with the rank of lieutenant with pay at 16s. 4d. a day.