THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE RANKER OFFICERS.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—With reference to the comments in the Spectator of March 22nd, in which you referred to the Prime Minister's statement that he had been misled by our questionnaire, I beg to enclose a set of papers exactly similar to those -which were forwarded to him by a member of this organiza- tion during the General Election campaign. You will notice that No. 1 is a short statement of the case and that No. 2 is the questionnaire ; No. 3 contains a copy of Lord Derby's letter giving the War Office decision, and No. 4 contains a note on Lord Derby's communication. You will sec in No. 4 it is stated quite clearly that the pension was drawn while serving and was regarded as a well-known fact.
I beg also to inform you that all the points connected with this case had been placed before the officials of the Labour Party charged with the duty of examining such claims, and the fact that the pension had been drawn while serving was well known to all concerned. This point, how- ever, upon which the Prime Minister laid so much stress has really nothing to do with our argument.
We claim the same treatment as that given to our brother officers in the Navy and the Royal Marines who returned and served during the War under identical conditions ; they also drew their pensions while serving, and at the end of the War theyreceived the status and retired pay of commissioned rank, the naval rates being £250 a year, rising to £300, which is considerably more than that which is now claimed by Army pensioned ranker officers—the minimum retired pay being £150 a year. Under these circumstances I cannot accept the charge of concealing material facts.—J am, Sir, &c., F. D. Bonn (General and Political Secretary, Army-Pensioned-Ranker-Officers). 32 Doughty Street, London, IV .C.1.
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