D.-GENERAL STORES. 1. Equipment and miscellaneous stores.-Provision is taken for the personal accoutrements of airmen, for horse furniture, and for cleaning and laundry materials. 2. Furniture, barrack equipment and other accommodation stores.-Furniture for officers' and airmen's quarters, messes, barracks, hospitals, gymnasia and recreation rooms; including china, glass, cutlery and cooking utensils; also camp equipment and fire fighting appliances. Furniture is mainly obtained through H.M. Office of Works. Married quarters provided for officers of certain senior ranks and for other officers who are officially recognised as married are furnished at public expense. A free issue of the necessary articles of camp kit is made to certain officers appointed to commissions in the Royal Air Force after 1st July 1925 (King's Regulations, Chapter XXXII). Provision is also made for cash grants to new messes towards the initial cost of additional mess equipment. The decrease is mainly due to the reduction in personnel. E. CLOTHING. 1. Provision of Clothing.-Includes provision for clothing for issue on repayment to airmen receiving clothing allowance (see below), and working and flying clothing for officers and airmen. (These latter items do not fall within the scope of the airmen's clothing allowance.) 2. Clothing Allowance.-Except when on active service, airmen receive clothing allowance at rates and under conditions laid down in King's Regulations, Chapter XXXII. These allowances, which are designed to cover the cost of the upkeep of clothing and necessaries, haircutting, washing and repairs, are revised annually with effect from 1st April. The amounts paid by airmen for clothing issued from stocks and for washing of non-public clothing in Royal Air Force laundries are credited to this subhead. The decrease is mainly due to the reduction in personnel. F.-PROVISIONS AND HORSES. 1. Rations.-A daily ration is issuable to all officers, airmen, and apprentices; but not to cadets. Home stations.-The items of the daily ration at present issued in kind are Meat 12 oz. Bread 16 oz. Sugar 1 oz. A cash allowance is issued in lieu of cheese 1 oz., margarine 1 oz., jam or syrup 1 oz., bacon 2 oz. A further daily allowance of 3'5d. to be expended on staple articles of diet is also issued. F.-PROVISIONS AND HORSES-contd. The daily cost of a ration at home (including the above cash allowances) is at present (1st January 1927) 12-8d. Abroad. At stations abroad the ration is fixed to suit the climate, and at such stations free issues are made of half rations to wives and quarter rations to children of airmen on the married establishment. Special issues, etc.-Certain additional issues are made to airmen on special night duty, and a special "flying ration" to personnel engaged on long flights, for which an emergency ration is also provided. Rum also is issued on exceptional occasions. 2. Ration Allowance.-When for special service reasons, the ration is not issued in kind, a cash allowance based on retail prices is issued. The rate is at present 18. 7d. a day at home. 3. Horses and Forage.-Maintenance and replacement of animals in Iraq, Palestine and Trans-Jordan, Horse allowance, covering the provision of horse, forage, and groom, is granted in certain cases. The decrease is due to reduction in personnel and in prices both at Home and in the Middle East. G.-TRANSPORT. Provision is made under this subhead for the cost of conveyance, travelling and subsistence allowances of officers and airmen, also for civilian officials of the Air Ministry headquarters and out-station staff, together with the cost of transport of supplies, equipment, baggage, etc., by land and sea. In the case of individuals travelling for, or stores being conveyed on behalf of the Meteorological Service, the Directorate of Aeronautical Inspection and the Department of the Director of Civil Aviation, however, provision is made under appropriate headings in Votes 9, 3 and 8 respectively, whilst separate provision is also made in Vote 3 in respect of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and the Royal Airship Works, Cardington. 1. Land, Coastwise and Cross-Channel Transport of Personnel.-Railway Journeys. In accordance with the provisions of the Cheap Trains Act 1883, Royal Air Force personnel (not including civilians) travelling on duty in Great Britain are conveyed on warrants at the reduced rates laid down in King's Regulations, Chapter XXXVII. These reduced fares also apply to wives, widows, and children of officers and airmen entitled to conveyance at public expense. The fares of civilian personnel travelling on duty by rail are paid for at the rates charged to the public. In the case of cross-channel journeys, full fare is payable in all cases. Travelling Allowances.-The rates authorised for Royal Air Force personnel travelling on duty are laid down in King's Regulations, Chapter XXXVII. The rates for civilians are, in the main, those approved by the Treasury for civil servants generally. (24471) G.-TRANSPORT.-contd. 2. Ocean Transport of Personnel. This is arranged by the Board of Trade, Mercantile Marine Department, on requisition from the Air Ministry. The Board of Trade pays the bills and reclaims from the Air Ministry the amounts so paid. 3. Land Carriage, Coastwise and Cross-Channel Freight of Stores.-Provision is made under this subhead for the land carriage, coastwise and crosschannel freight of all Royal Air Force equipment and materials, except the cost of carriage from the contractors' works to the Royal Air Force Depôtwhich is usually covered by the contract price and is charged to the Vote and subhead which bears the cost of the stores. The rates paid to the railway companies in Great Britain are set out in King's Regulations, Chapters XXXI and XXXVII. 4. Ocean Freight of Stores.-The arrangements outlined above relating to Item 2 are also applicable to the ocean transport of stores. The decrease is mainly due to smaller requirements in the movements of personnel and stores in connection with Iraq. H.-APPROPRIATIONS IN AID. 1. Receipts from Sales.-Sums received for the sale of clothing and of equipment (including supplies to the Indian Government) and rations issued on repayment. 2. Barrack Damages.-Includes recoveries in respect of damage to barrack stores and equipment. 3. Repayment by the Middle East Department in respect of Iraq, Palestine and Trans-Jordan.-Represents the net sum payable by the Middle East Department in respect of services provided under Vote 2 for Iraq. Palestine and Trans-Jordan. The net credit is arrived at as follows: Cash expenditure provided for in Vote 2. Less. Repayment for supplies to British and Indian troops. Recoveries effected under 1, 2 and 7 in respect of Iraq, Palestine and Trans-Jordan. 4. Repayments for Supplies to British and Indian Troops.-Sums repayable from Army and the Middle Eastern Services Votes respectively for supplies to British and Indian troops in the Middle East. The charge for supplies other than capital charges is recovered mainly on a capitation basis. 5. Repayment by the Middle East Department in respect of Aden.Sums repayable from the Middle Eastern Services Vote for services provided under Vote 2 for the Royal Air Force at Aden (See note on page 4b). 6. Grant from the Admiralty in respect of the Fleet Air Arm.-(See note on page 14b). as 7. Miscellaneous Receipts.-Includes miscellaneous receipts such recoveries of messing charges from officers' families for whom passage at the public expense is provided, laundry charges, etc. The reduction in appropriations-in-aid is almost wholly in respect of Middle East Services and reflects the smaller provision for such services in subheads A-G. VOTE 2.-QUARtering, Stores (except TECHNIcal), SupplieS AND H.-APPROPRIATIONS IN AID: 1. Receipts from the Indian Government 1. Receipts from Sales (including issues on repayment) 3. Repayments by the Middle East Department in 4. Repayments for supplies to British and Indian troops 6. Grant from the Admiralty in respect of the Fleet 7. Miscellaneous 8,000 14,000 580,000 761,000 (a) Now included in Receipts from Sales. (24471) C 2 VOTE 3. TECHNICAL AND WARLIKE STORES (INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL AND RESEARCH SERVICES). I. AN ESTIMATE of the Sum which will be required in the Year ending 31st March 1928, to defray the Expense of TECHNICAL AND WARLIKE STORES (INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL AND RESEARCH SERVICES). Six Million Four Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Pounds. (£6,424,000.) II. SUBHEADS under which this Vote will be accounted for. |