Soldiers to re main in bar racks or quarters during elections for members of Parliament, except in certain cases. XI. Elections,' Detention of Troops during. 8. 2. On every day appointed for the nomination or for the 10 Vict., c. 12. election, or for taking the poll for the election of a member or members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament, no soldier, within two miles of any city, borough, town, or place where such nomination or election shall be declared, or poll taken, shall be allowed to go out of the barracks or quarters in which he is stationed, unless for the purpose of mounting or relieving guard, or for giving his vote at such election; and every soldier allowed to go out for any such purpose within the limits aforesaid shall return to his barracks or quarters with all convenient speed as soon as his guard shall have been relieved Not to apply or vote tendered; but this does not apply to any soldiers attending as the guards of Her Majesty, or any person of the attending Her Royal Family, or to the soldiers usually stationed or employed Majesty, or to soldiers in the within the Bank of England. to Guards Bank. Military savings banks may be established. be made. XII. Military Savings Banks." The statute law (22 & 23 Vict., c. 20) enables:— Her Majesty to establish or continue military or regimental 22 & 23 Vict., savings banks for the purpose of receiving sums of money from c. 20, sec. 2. such of the non-commissiond officers and soldiers, either in the United Kingdom or upon foreign stations (India alone excepted), as may be desirous of depositing the same, and for receiving deposits of any moneys or funds whatsoever raised or paid for objects or purposes connected with non-commissioned officers and soldiers which Her Majesty may from time to time think fit to authorise to be deposited in the said savings bank. Regulations The regulations for these savings banks shall be made by Ibid, sec. 3. for savings the Secretary of State with the concurrence of the Officers banks, how to Commanding in Chief and of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, and, when sanctioned by Her Majesty, shall be signed by the Secretary of State and laid before Parliament. A copy of such regulations shall also be deposited in the orderly room of every regiment to which they apply, and be binding upon all officers concerned, and upon the several depositors in the said savings banks and upon their representatives. What to be provided for by the regula tions. The regulations (1.) Shall regulate and determine the rate of interest to be Ibid, sec. 4. 1 See the history of this enactment, vol. 1, pp. 191–205, and p. 58, ante. interest shall be added to principal so as to become principal, in like manner as if the same had been paid to the depositor and been again deposited, and what deposits may be received upon which interest shall not be payable; (2.) May determine in what cases or under what circumstances deposits and the interests (if any) thereon shall be forfeited to the public;1 (3.) May make provision for the retention or deposit in the military or regimental savings banks of the effects of deceased non-commissioned officers or soldiers, or the money arising therefrom, at interest, or without interest, and for the payment or application thereof and of the interest thereon to or for the benefit of the orphans of such non-commissioned officers or soldiers or other persons entiled to the same; (4.) May make provision for and concerning the deposit of funds created for charitable regimental purposes by subscriptions of officers, unexpended balances of canteen funds, or otherwise, and of any funds or moneys created, raised, or paid in any manner whatsoever for objects or purposes connected with non-commissioned officers or soldiers, and concerning the manner in which such funds or moneys, and the interest thereon, shall be paid, applied, or distributed; (5.) May make it obligatory on commanding officers of regiments and others to deposit such funds or moneys in the said savings banks, and to account to the Secretary of State or otherwise for the same, and the due application thereof; (6.) May make provision for the withdrawal from the said savings banks for the purpose of transfer to India. of any money whatsoever deposited in the said savings banks, and the accumulations of interest thereon, upon the occasion of regiments proceeding to India; (7.) And shall provide for the keeping of proper accounts, and generally for all such matters in relation to the said savings banks and deposits therein as may be thought proper: Provided always, that deposits by any individual depositor in any one year (ending on such day as may be in the regulations mentioned), exceeding 301. in the whole (exclusive of interest added), shall not bear interest until after the end of such year, except only in the case of deposits of gratuities awarded for good conduct or otherwise, and that while the sums standing in the name of any individual depositor (inclusive of interest, if any), amount to or exceed 2007. no interest shall accrue on any sum in excess of that amount standing in his name; but this proviso shall not apply to or in the case of money retained or deposited in a military or regimental savings bank after the 1 See Army Discipline Act, 1879, sec. 44, sub-sec. (7). Receipts of infants and married women. Officers of death of a non-commissioned officer or soldier, for the benefit The receipt of any infant for any money deposited, or for 22 & 23 Viet., No person having any control in the management of any Ibid, sec. 12. savings banks savings bank shall be personally liable, except for his own acts, not personally nor shall any such person be personally liable for anything done by him in virtue of his office in the execution of this Act, except in cases where he is guilty of wilful neglect or default. liable, except for their own acts. All captures hereafter made by the disposed of as Her Majesty army shall be shall direct. Deserters shall not be entitled to prize money. XIII. Prize Money.' In all captures which shall be made by Her Majesty's army, 2 Will. 4, c. 53, Provincial, Black, and all other troops in her pay or service, or sec. 2. howsoever otherwise paid, of any fortress or possession of her enemies, or of any ship or vessel in any road, river, haven, or creek belonging to such fortress or possession, and in all captures, expeditions, or actions from which prize money, bounty money, or grant shall arise, the commanders and other officers and soldiers engaged therein shall have such right and interest as Her Majesty shall think fit to order in all the arms, ammunition, stores of war, goods, merchandize, booty, prize, and treasure belonging to the State, or to any public trading company of such enemies, which shall be found in such fortress or possession, or captured in or granted for any such expedition or action, to be divided in such proportions, and according to such general rule of distribution for the army, as shall be established by Her Majesty, or in default thereof in such manner as Her Majesty shall, under Her Sign Manual, be pleased to direct. No officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier, or other Ibid, sec. 3. person, who shall be entitled to prize or capture taken from any of Her Majesty's enemies, or in any grant on account of services and who shall desert or unlawfully withdraw from Her Majesty's service, shall have any title to or benefit from any part of such prize, capture, or grant which at the time of such desertion shall remain unpaid, but the share or shares of every such officer, six years after non-commissioned office, or soldier, or other person so deserting, being paid to or such part thereof as at the time of his or their desertion shall the Treasurer remain unpaid, and also the shares of all officers, non-commis Shares not claimed within of Chelsea The History of Prize, vol. 2, p. 290, and p. 47, ante. 2 Will. IV., sioned officers, and soldiers which shall not be legally demanded Hospital to In all such captures, expeditions, or actions as aforesaid, the Appraisem c. 53, sec. 4. receiving and collecting of booty, and all appraisements and and sales shall be made by sales of any arms, ammunition, stores of war, goods, merchandise, agents apand treasure which shall be found in any such fortress or posses- pointed by the sion as aforesaid, and to which the commanders and other officers commanders, and soldiers shall be entitled, shall be made by agents appointed &c. by the commanders and other officers entitled thereto. Ibid, sec. 8. Ibid, sec. 27. transmitted to As soon as shall be practicable after any prize or capture shall A certified list of the persons be made, or engagement shall have taken place, the commanding entitled to officer of every regiment or corps entitled to share in the pro- share in the ceeds of the said capture, or from any grant in consequence of capture to be such engagement, shall transmit to the treasurer of the Royal delivered or Hospital at Chelsea a list of the persons in the regiment or corps Chelsea Hosunder his command entitled to share therein, which list shall be pital. signed by the said commanding officer, the names being arranged in the same order in which they stand in the muster rolls of such regiments or corps, and the same shall be examined with and corrected by the muster rolls; and in case, from any urgent cause, no such prize list as aforesaid shall be sent to the Treasurer of the Royal Hospital, the said treasurer or his deputy shall apply to the commanding officer, or proper officer or office, for lists of the persons entitled to share in such capture, and such lists shall thereupon be made out from the official returns, and the proper officer to whom such application shall be made shall cause the same to be made out, and certify the truth thereof under his hand; and any person or persons who shall alter the name or rank of any person or persons in any list which shall have been so certified as aforesaid, or erase or take away any name therefrom, to add any name thereto, after the name shall have been so certified as aforesaid, with intent to defraud any person or persons, or corporation whatsoever, shall forfeit the sum of 500l., to be recovered in manner hereinafter mentioned. Upon satisfactory proof made to the Secretary of State of any regimental or public debt due by a person entitled to prize at his decease, a certificate may be sent to the Chelsea Commissioners for payment of the same amount of the prize.1 1 For a definition of regimental debts, see Part I. of the Act (post, p. 163). XIV. Payment of Property Tax. any The duty to be charged under Schedule A. in respect of 5 & 6 Vict., house, tenement, or apartment belonging to, if in the occupation of any officer of Her Majesty in right of his office or service (except apartments in Her Majesty's Royal Palaces), shall be charged on or paid by such occupier upon the annual value thereof. This rule also applies to the house duty imposed under 14 & 15 Vict., c. 36. XV. Postage of Letters. Under the Statute Law every non-commissioned officer and 3 & 4 Vict., private in the Army, Militia, Fencible Regiments, or Royal c. 96, s. 53. Marines, whether at home or abroad, whilst actually employed in Her Majesty's Service, may both send and receive letters by the post on their own private concerns, not exceeding half an ounce in weight, at a postage of one penny for each letter. But these conditions must be observed: the postage of each 10 & 11 Vict., letter (unless sent from parts beyond the seas) must be paid (or c. 85, s. 7. if posted in the United Kingdom must be duly and properly stamped) on being put into the post. The letters sent must be superscribed with the sender's name and class and signed by his commanding officer, and those received must be directed to the non-commissioned officer or private, specifying on the superscription his regiment, corps, or detachment, and be delivered only to the non-commissioned officer or private, or to the person appointed by the commanding officer. If the letters be subject to any foreign postage this must also be paid. XVI. Re-directed Letters. The foreign postage on re-directed letters received by com- 23 & 24 Vict., missioned as well as non-commissioned officers and privates may c. 65. (by Treasury Warrant) be remitted, and the Treasury may by warrant reduce or remit the British or Colonial rate of postage upon such letters. XVII. Exemption from assessed Tax on Men Servants. It is not necessary for a license to be taken out by any officer 32 & 33 Vict., in the army for any servant being a soldier in the army, and c. 14, ss. 19employed by such officer in accordance with the regulations of 22. |