I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether a number of gentlemen cadets, awaiting Commissions in the Royal Artillery after completing their education at the Royal Artillery Academy, are now attached to the Royal Artillery at various stations, and receive a special allowance of 4s. or 6s. a day according as they are given quarters or not; whether these young gentlemen have any proper military status and are able to perform any regular military duty as a return for the pay thus given to them; and, what is the reason, if any, why they should not be given Commissions as Supernumerary Second Lieutenants with the special rate of pay at present allowed them, so as to place them on a proper military footing and to enable them to perform regular military duty.
I fully appreciate the point. All I can say at present is that the question of giving these gentlemen rank is under consideration.