Admiralty Order in Council No. 39.

11th August 1903.

A.G.

Whereas we are of opinion that it is desirable that the Regulations governing the pay, allowances, &c. of the Medical Officers of Your Majesty's Navy should be modified and extended in certain directions so as to secure greater efficiency in the Medical Service.

And whereas we are further of opinion that it is desirable to create a Reserve of Medical Officers who would be liable to serve in time of war or emergency.

We beg leave humbly to recommend that Your Majesty may be graciously pleased by Your Order in Council to sanction the following proposals, viz. : —

1. Candidates for Commissions who, at the time of passing the qualifying examination for admission into the Royal Navy, hold or are about to hold posts as Resident Medical or Surgical Officer in a recognised Civil Hospital to be allowed to serve in these Civil appointments, provided that the period of such service after the date of entry into the Royal Navy does not exceed one year. Pay from Naval Funds to be withheld from Officers while thus serving, but the time concerned to reckon for increase of full and half pay while on the active list and retired pay or gratuity on retirement or withdrawal from the Service (except as indicated in the following clause).
2. Surgeons after serving for four years (excluding time spent as Resident Officer in a Civil Hospital) to be allowed, at the discretion of the Admiralty, to with- draw from the Royal Navy with a gratuity of Five hundred pounds, but Officers so withdrawing to be required to join the Reserve of Medical Officers under the conditions set forth in clause 4 hereof.
3. The system of "charge pay" already approved for the Royal Naval Hospitals at Haslar, Plymouth, and Chatham to be extended, from the first of October 1903, to other Naval Hospitals (including the Establishment on Ascension Island) on the following scale : —

	s.	d.
Deputy Inspectors General	7	6	a day.
Fleet Surgeons	5	0	Do
Staff Surgeons	2	6	Do

4. Officers belonging to the Reserve of Naval Medical Officers to be liable to serve in the Royal Navy in time of war or emergency. Each Officer joining the Reserve to be permitted to select terms of membership as follows : —
1. He may simply enter the Reserve with power to give six months' notice of his intention to resign his position, the total period of membership however not to exceed eight years.
2. He may bind himself to remain in the Reserve for four years, receiving a retaining fee of £25 per annum ; and at the expiration of this period he may again bind himself to remain a member for another four years, receiving a similar retaining fee.
3. He may enter the Reserve for the first four years as in paragraph (6) and then by renouncing his retaining fee volunteer to continue membership for another four years as in paragraph (a).

Officers of the Reserve called upon to serve in war or emergency after the expiration of any period of non- employment to receive immediately the rate of pay to which they would have been entitled after four years service, viz., 17s. a day. If during such re-employment they are injured on -duty or lose their lives from causes attributable to the Service their cases to be dealt with as regards compensation for themselves or pensions and compassionate allowances for their widows and children under the same regulations as those for Officers of the same rank on the permanent Active List.

The Lords Commissioners of Your Majesty's Treasury have signified their concurrence in these proposals.

N.P. 3057 / 1903.

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