Admiralty Order in Council No. 75 .

16 May 1904.

N.

Whereas by Order in Council of Her late Majesty bearing the date of the 15 September 1887 we were empowered to confer, at our discretion, the retired and honorary rank of Lieutenant on Chief Gunners and Chief Boatswains, when pensioned, and relative rank with Lieutenant on Chief Carpenters, when pensioned, provided that in every case an officer granted such honorary or relative rank should have served for three years as Chief Gunner, Chief Boatswain, or Chief Carpenter.

And whereas by Order in Council of Her late Majesty bearing the date of the 6 March 1896 the widows and children of Chief Gunners, Chief Boatswains and Chief Carpenters, retired with honorary or relative rank as above, are eligible for pensions and compassionate allowances as in the case of Junior Lieutenants of the Royal Navy.

And whereas by Your Majesty's Order in Council of the 28 March 1903 the new rank of Chief Artificer Engineer was established :

And whereas by a further Order in Council of the 28 March 1903 Your Majesty was graciously pleased to authorise us to promote Chief Gunners, Chief Boatswains, and Chief Signal Boatswains to be Lieutenants, Chief Carpenters to be Carpenter Lieutenants, and Chief Artificer Engineers to be Engineer Lieutenants, on the active list of Your Majesty's Navy.

We beg leave humbly to recommend that Your Majesty may be graciously pleased by Your Order in Council to authorise us to confer, at our discretion, the rank of Lieutenant on Chief Gunners, Chief Boatswains, and Chief Signal Boatswains, when pensioned, the rank of Carpenter Lieutenant on Chief Carpenters, when pensioned, and the rank of Engineer Lieutenant on Chief Artificer Engineers when pensioned, provided that an officer granted such rank on retirement shall have served for three years on the active list of Your Majesty's Navy as Chief Gunner, Chief Boatswain, Chief Signal Boatswain, Chief Carpenter, or Chief Artificer Engineer. These officers, if re-employed after retirement, to receive the rates of pay and allowances of the rank last held by them on the active list. The pensions and compassionate allowances to the widows and children of these officers to be the same as in the case of Junior Lieutenants of the Royal Navy.

We further beg leave humbly to recommend that Chief Artificer Engineers and Artificer Engineers shall be eligible for promotion to the rank of Engineer Lieutenant for acts of gallantry or daring, if under the age of forty-five, in the same manner and under the same conditions as Chief Gunners and Gunners, Chief Boatswains and Boatswains, and Chief Carpenters and Carpenters can obtain promotion for such acts.

The regulations as to full and half pay and retirement for officers thus promoted to be the same as those already authorised by Your Majesty's Orders in Council dated the 28 March 1903, and the eleventh February 1904, for Engineer Lieutenants promoted from Chief Artificer Engineer, subject as regards retired pay to the following exceptions : �

1. The rate for each year's service as Engineer Lieutenant to be Twelve pounds.
2. The minimum, if retired at the age of fifty-five, to be Two hundred pounds.
3. The maximum to be Two hundred and fifty pounds.

Any officer thus promoted, if subsequently advanced to the list of Engineer Lieutenants of eight years' seniority, to come under all the regulations for officers on that list, subject to the proviso that his retired pay shall not be less than the amount he would have obtained under the foregoing clause if he had remained on the Junior List until his retirement.

Engineer Lieutenants promoted to that rank under these conditions to be included in the authorised numbers of Commissioned Engineer Officers.

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

N. 6938 / 1904.

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