Secretary of State, each officer has been appointed or promoted That it is expedient to regulate, from time to time, the mode (m.) Regimental Exchanges. By "The Regimental Exchange Act, 1875," which received 38 Vict., c. 16. the Royal Assent on the 28th May 1875, Her Majesty may, sec. 2. from time to time, by regulation authorise exchanges to be made by officers in Her Majesty's Regular Forces from one regiment or corps to another regiment or corps, on such conditions as to Her Majesty may for the time being seem expedient; and nothing contained in the Army Brokerage Acts shall extend to any exchanges made in manner authorised by any regulation of Her Majesty for the time being in force. "The Army Brokerage Acts" are the 5 and 6 Edward VI., c. 16, and the 49 George III., c. 126. (See pp. 110 and 112, post.) (n.) Army Purchase Commissioners.1 For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the 34 & 35 Vict., There may Any act or thing required, or authorized to be done by the The Commissioners may, with the sanction of the Treasury Ibid, sec. 11. 1 As to history of Army Purchase, Vol. 1., pp. 29, 106; Vol. II., pp. 74, 90, and p. 106, post. (0.) Pensions Commutations.1 On the 29th June 1871, "The Pensions Commutation Act 1871" received the Royal Assent. The Act interprets the term & 35 Vict., "pension" to include any half-pay, compensation allowance, Definition of 36, sec. 2. superannuation or retirement allowance, or other payment of terms. bid, sec. 3. bid, sec. 4. the like nature: The term "officer" means commissioned officer and warrant officer in the Army and Navy, and subordinate officers in the Navy: The term "public civil office" means any office other than that of an officer in Her Majesty's naval or land forces, the holder of which is paid his remuneration out of moneys provided by Parliament for supply services. Its provisions are as follows:- (1.) To officers in Her Majesty's naval or land forces; and from public civil offices in consequence of the abolition Application of It enables the Treasury, in accordance with such regulations Power to (1.) In calculating the amount payable in respect of the (a.) The age of the pension-holder shall be (b.) In the case of impaired lives, years shall be added to the age of the pension-holder for the purpose of calculating the amount of commutation payable to them; and in like manner a deduction from age shall be made as an equivalent for the right to prospective increase of the pension to be commuted: (c.) In calculating the amount payable in respect of any pension, interest shall be reckoned at a rate of not less than 57. per centum per annum : 1 As to this Act, see Vol. II., pp. 448-50. A pension as defined by 22 Geo. III., c. 82, sec. 30, is any grant made more than once in three years (see p. 131, post.) D Commutation board constituted. Power to Treasury to make regula tions. Penalty on persons (2.) Where any officer in the naval or land forces of Her (3.) Save as aforesaid, nothing in this Act contained shall (4.) No application for the commutation of a pension shall There shall be constituted for the purpose of advising on 34 & 35 Vict. the cases of applicants for commutation of pensions under this c. 36, sec. 5. Act a board, in this Act called "the commutation board." The commutation board shall consist of the Comptroller- The Treasury may from time to time appoint, and remove, The commutation board shall inquire into and report to the Treasury upon the cases of applicants for commutation under this Act in such manner as the Treasury directs. Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Treasury may from Ibid, sec. 7. time to time make, alter, or revoke regulations as to the following matters: (1.) The rules according to which applications for com- (2.) The tables according to which the duration of life of (3.) The terms upon which pensions are to be commuted, If any applicant for commutation under this Act wilfully Ibid, sec. 9. make any false declaration in relation to any matter or thing declaration. required by any regulation made in pursuance of this Act he making false & 35 Vict., shall be deemed to be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be be made where pension If any pension-holder whose pension has been commuted in Deduction 36, sec. 10. pursuance of this Act accepts any public employment, a from salary to deduction shall be made from the salary payable to him in respect of such employment equal to the amount which would holder takes have been abated from the pension if it had not been com- office. muted; and in the event of his becoming entitled to a pension in respect of such employment, the amount of such pension granted to him shall not exceed the amount which he might have received had his pension not been so commuted. 9 & 40 Vict., By an Act of 1876, certain officers of the army were Exemption of - 73, sec. 2. exempted from the provisions of sec. 10, thus: certain halfpay officers Where an officer being on balf-pay has either before or after of army from The instructions issued by the Treasury are in these words: 1. Any person who has retired or has been removed from a 2. If the head of the Department to which he belonged shall think proper to recommend the commutation under the fourth clause of the 4th section of the Act, the person will be 1 By the 2nd section of the Act "the term 'public civil office' means any office other than that of an officer in Her Majesty's Naval or Land Forces, the holder of which is paid his remuneration out of the moneys provided by Parliament for supply services." so informed by the head of the Department, and his application will be forwarded to the Commutation Board for consideration. 3. The person will then receive further instructions from that Board. 4. The Commutation Board will require the person to give such information as to his health and habits as is usual in the case of persons proposing to assure their lives in assurance companies, and he will be required to submit himself for personal examination at the office of the Board at the National Debt Office, 19, Old Jewry, in the City of London. 5. The basis of the commutation will be the following Table, subject to an addition of years of age in the case of impaired lives: 6. The amount of money to be paid in commutation of the pension will be fixed by the Treasury on the recommendation of the Commutation Board. The applicant will then be informed of the amount, and he will have the option of with Present Value of the |