The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

THE PURCHASE SYSTEM.

(From the Daily News.)
"I am not wedded to the purchase system," says
the Duke of Cambridge to the Commissioners, "and
I am not prepared to say that if I started a system
I would start that; but I have never yet seen any
thing proposed which in my opinion would make
up for the advantages of that system ; and until
I see some plan propounded that will do so, I think
it would be a great pity to deviate from the purchase
system." "It is not for me," continues the Com-
mander-in-Chief, "to give au opinion as to what
the Commissioners should report, but I am quite
prepared to say this, that any change which must be
propounded must be a complete one, and not a par-
tial one." Such is the view taken of the purchase
system by the chief of the British Army : Show me
a better system, and I will not refuse to adopt it ;
but in any case, make no partial changes—don't
attempt to mix up the utterly incompatible prin-
ciples of promotion by purchase and promotion for
professional merit, but either keep the system intact
or abolish it altogether.
Sir Charles Trevelyan, whose plan we now proceed
to examine, appears to meet both requirements of
the Royal Duke : he sketches a plan which at ones
provides for the total abolition of the purchase sys-
tem,. and without any increase of expense to the
country, secures that rapid current of promotion
which constitutes the main advantage that even its
most zealous advocates can profess to claim for the
purchase system. Let us briefly state the outlines
of this elaborate system.
Sir Charles proposes that first appointments to
the Army shall be conferred partly on the principle
of nomination, partly on that of competition. It
is contemplated that the Commander-in-Ch'ef shall
keep a list of candidates as ho does now, and that
on the occurrence of a vacancy he shall nominate
three from his list, selecting the best of the three
for the commission by a competitive examination,
and permitting the rejected candidates to go up a
second but not a third time. This principle of no-
mination and limited competition has been found
to work admirably well in the Civil Service. Sir
Charles Trevelyan, than whom no man is better
qualified by extensive experience to speak on the
subject, thus explains its practical operation
The efficacy of the plan is much greater than
appears at first sight : on the first appearance of it,
it looks as if the only sifting was that produced by
the examination, but it is not so ; there is also a
preliminary sell-actiug operation, which is even
more valuable. When the principle of examination
is a fixed one, there is hardly any young man so
inferior who does not think he can cram up to it ;
but when you introduca the competitive principle
it becomes a race, and as in a race you endeavour
to enter a winning horse, so in a competitive ex-
amination you only put forward young men who
are likely to succeed. We find by practical experi-
ence that the standard of the candidates is elevated
by this natural preliminary self-acting process."
The first entry into the army hiving been thus
effected, the next step consists in a course of pro-
fessional military training. It is proposed that all
the young men thus selected for commissions shall
be sent, without exception, to a mil tary college
for two years in time of peace, for one year in t me
of war. It is father proposed that they shag be
posted in the army according to the way in which
they acquit themselves at the college examination g.
Having thus fairly ent,red on their regimental
duties as subaltern officers, the plan contemplates
that their promotion while in the junior tanks shall
be regulated two-thirds by Seniority, and one-third
by Selection. Before attaining the rank of Captain,
an exclusively professional examination (theoretic-el
as well as practical) is to be gene through. It is
proposed that this should not ba a competitive but
a fixed-standard examination, the young most being
at the same time encouraged to t tke up as many
extra subjects as possible, or, in Oxford phraseology,
" to go up for honours."
Up to the rank of Captain the promotion, it is
rec ititn,nded, should be strictly regimental
above that rank it should, as in the Indian ser-
vice, go through the entire branch of the army.
All promotions above the rank of Captain are to
proceed strictly on the principle of selection, the
basis of selection being the recorded results of pe-
riodical inspections carefully registered at head-
quarters. Sir Charles Trevelyan recommends that
the system of regimental inspection by general offi-
cers shall, for this purpose, be extended through-
out the Empire, and he conclusively shows that
order to make such a system of reports a perfectly
safe- and satisfactory ground of army promotion,
nothing more is required than a conscientious and
painstakint, registration at hoid-qnarters of the re-
sults arrived at from time to time by the Inspecting
Generals.
Having thus provided a method (very similar to
that so successfully practised in the French service)
of selecting the officers most deserving of promo-
tion, Sir Charles goes on to recommend that the
Line should be assimilated to the Guards Artil-
lery, Engineers, and Marines, by the abolition of
the rank of Major ; that the honorary rank of
Colonel of Regiments should be discontinued ; and
there should in future be only two grades of field
officers—full Colonels and Lieutenant-Colonels. If
we add to this that all Staff appointments are to be
regulated by examinations strictly competitive, and
that Exchanges are to be entirely abolished, so as to
prevent officers from evading Indian or Colonial
service, we shall have a tolerably clear outline DO
tion of the Assistant-Secretary's scheme, as far as
regards first commissions and subsequent promo-

A very important part of the plan remains be-
hind. How is it iuten fed to keep up that rapid
current of promotion, the maintenance of which is
the great alleged advantage of the Purchase Sys-
tem ? The answer is, by a scheme of retirement
on full pay—Voluntary at certain fixed periods
in certain ranks—Compulsory at certain other
periods more advanced. Field-Marshals, Gene-
rals, and Lieutenare-Generals are to be exempted
from the operation of this rule ; on all lower
ranks it is proposed that the respective periods of
compulsory and voluntary retirements on
full pay should be, for a Major-General, 65 and 60 ;
for a Colonel Cominandiug (now Lieutenant-
Colonel), 60 and 55 ; for a Lieutenant-Colonel
(now Major) 55 and 50 ; for a Captain or Sub-
altern, 50 and 45. It is calculated, upon data
selected with great care and accuracy, that the
combined operation of these compulsory and
voluntary full-pay retirements, of voluntary
retirements before the age entitling to full pay, of
selections for Staff and other permanent appoint-
ments, and of death vacancies, would keep up the
current of promotion in time of peace at quite the
same rate as the Purchase system.
We have not space to go at any length into the
financial details of the plan, and can only state the
net results. Sir Charles proposes an augmentation
of pay in the junior ranks, and in the rack of
Colonels commanding regiments, which involves
for Regimental officers an annual increase of up-
wards of 62,0001., and for Staff officers an increase
of upwards of 37,0001. On the other hand, the
establishment of General officers is reduced by
more than 66,0001. a-year, and their command pay
and allowances about 1,5001. Of the other!
financial charges, the most considerable are in the
relative proportions of full-pay retirements and
half pay: the former is increased in round numbers
by 150,0001., the latter diminished by 167,0001.
The net result of the whole calculation is that the
new system would cost the country 113,4781. less
per annum than the existing system.
There remains the question as to compensating
officers who may elect to retire, receiving the price
of their commissions. Of course if we are to sup-
pose that the whole body of existing officers, on the
abolition of the Purchase System, would give up
the service in disgust, and simultaneously demand
from the Treasury the price of their commissions,
the amount which the country would thus be called
on to disburse would be a somewhat formidable
one—ordinarily, we believe, computed at about
7,000,0)0/. stalling. But no one really entertains
the absurd belief that anything of this sort is likely
to take place. Sir Charles Trevelyan is probably
pretty near the mark when he takes the annual
number of those officers who retired on sale in the
two years preceding the last war, as affording a very
approximate measure of the annual number likely
to de:nand compensation in case of the abolition of
the Purchase System. That annual number was
322, and the regulation value of their commissions
was about 521,0001., the customary value about
733,0001. These are surely not formidable sums
to be paid by the richest country in tho world for
the sake of gating rid of such a prayed abuse as
the Purchase System. One thing is quite certain,
and that is, that no time could be more favourable
than the present for making the change, for "in
the majority of the Crimean regiments the larger
number of officers have obtained some, if not all
their commissions without purchase, whereas every
month is now adding to the number of the commis-
sions sold, and to the amount which officers whet
have not purchased their commissions are entitled
to realise according to their length of service." We
have gone through the outlines of Sir Charles Tre-
..ivAn'si scheme. Without commit. Finn

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S PAPER