British Imports
1.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the value of British imports into India for the six months ending 31st March, 1922, as compared with the respective totals for the two immediately preceding periods of six months?
The figure for six months ending 31st March, 1922, is Rs.99,70 lakhs; for the preceding six months, Rs.77,62 lakhs; and for six months before that, Rs.112,26 lakhs.
Pandit Harish Chandra
2.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether permission can now be granted to Pandit Ravish Chandra to return to India, either with or without conditions?
If the question relates to Harish Chandra, there is not and never has been any order against his return to India. It is open to him to go there whenever he pleases, but in saying so I must not be understood as promising any immunity if he has committed an offence.
Ministers (Resignation)
3.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has any information as to the cause of the resignation of the Ministers the hon. Chintamini and Pandit Juggath Naraian; and has their resignation been accepted?
I have no information beyond what has been stated in a Press telegram.
Cable Companies
5.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether any subsidy or annual allowance is paid by the Indian Government to any of the cable companies owning cables to India; and, if so, what the amounts are and to which companies they are paid, and what conditions the Government receive for any such payments?
The answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the negative; the second part, therefore, does not arise.
Railway Companies (Government Guarantees)
6.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India, in the case of how many railway companies in India the Indian Government guarantee the interest on debentures or any other stocks of the companies; can he give the names of the companies; and what amount of capital on each is so guaranteed?
As the answer is rather long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Following is the answer:
| STATEMENT showing the Capital Liabilities of Indian Railway Companies, domiciled in London outstanding on 31st March, 1923, the Interest on which is guaranteed by the Secretary of State. | ||||||
| Railway Company. | Share Capital. | Debenture Stock. | Debentures. | |||
| Amount. | Rate of Interest. | Nominal Amount. | Rate of Interest. | Nominal Amount. | Rate of Interest. | |
| £ | Per cent. | £ | Per cent. | £ | Per cent. | |
| Assam-Bengal | 1,500,000 | 3 | — | — | 300,000 | 6¼ |
| 430,900 | 6 | |||||
| 730,900 | ||||||
| Bengal-Nagpur | 3,000,000 | 3½ | 2,000,000 | 4 | 1,472,000 | 6 |
| 775,500 | 5½ | |||||
| 623,500 | 5 | |||||
| 2,003,900 | 4½ | |||||
| 4,874,900 | ||||||
| Bombay, Baroda and Central India. | 2,000,000 | 3 | 1,000,000 | 3½ | — | — |
| Burma Railways | 3,000,000 | 2½ | 1,250,000 | 3 | — | — |
| Delhi-Umballa-Kalka | 1,000,000 | 3¼ | 300,000 | 5 | — | — |
| East Indian | 6,550,000 | 4 | 7,000,000 | 3½ | — | — |
| (Deferred Annuity). | 8,000,000 | 3 | ||||
| 3,500,000 | 4½ | |||||
| Great Indian Peninsula | 2,575,000 | 3 | 3,500,000 | 3½ | 475,000 | 6 |
| Madras and Southern Mahratta. | 5,000,000 | 3½ | 2,500,000 | 4 | 100,000 | 5¾ |
| 201,000 | 5 | |||||
| Madras and Southern Mahratta, Mysore Section. | — | — | 1,200,000 | 4 | 500,000 | 4½ |
| 1,276,000 | ||||||
| South Indian | 1,000,000 | 3½ | 2,318,248 | 4 | 395,000 | 6 |
| 500,000 | 4½ | |||||
| 895,000 | ||||||
In addition, there are 11 small companies, domiciled in India, with capitals aggregating Rs.2,74,88,000, or £1,832,533, which have been given a guarantee of interest at various rates by the Government of India. A number of companies, all domiciled in India, except the Southern Punjab Railway Company, have also been given by the Government of India a guarantee of rebate from the net earnings of the main line, with which they are connected, from traffic interchanged with the branch to make up interest on their paid-up share capitals to an agreed figure.
Public Services (Royal Commission)
8.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what length of time it is anticipated will be required for the inquiry by the Royal Commission on Indian Services; and whether measures will be taken to ensure that early orders will be passed upon the Report?
It is hoped that a few months will be sufficient time to enable the Commission to report. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. The importance of expedition is fully realised.
Visapur Gaol
4.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has seen the report of the inquiry into the Visapur Gaol and the treatment there of political prisoners; and whether, in view of the widespread allegations concerning conditions in this gaol, he will have this report laid in the Library?
I have seen the report of the Committee appointed by the Government of Bombay in September last consisting of the Commissioner, Central Division, as Chairman, the District Magistrate of Ahmednagar and an Indian Member of the Bombay Legislative Council. I will place in the Library a copy of the report as soon as one is available, and meanwhile I circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the summary with which the Committee's report itself concludes. I presume that the allegations to which the hon. and gallant Member refers are those which appear in a pamphlet, the two authors of which were invited to attend before the Committee with an offer of their expenses. Neither of them appeared, and it will be seen that, while drawing attention to some serious defects, the Committee effectually disposed of many of the gross misrepresentations that the pamphlet in question contains.
May I ask, first, whether any action has been taken as a result of this report; and, secondly, when we may expect to have the report?
As regards the first question, certain disciplinary action has been taken as a result of the report. I am not sure when the full report will be available, but it will be as soon as it arrives from India.
Will action also be taken regarding the misrepresentations which have been made in this case?
The authors were given an opportunity, as I have already said, of appearing before the Committee, but they did not do so. Whether any further action against them is desirable is, at the present time, being considered by the authorities in India.
Following is the summary of the report:
" To summarise: the general management of the prison is satisfactory and the treatment of prisoners, except some of those under the charge of ex-warden Subrao, has been humane. Only as regards ill-treatment in the grinding shed do we consider that the complaints of any prisoners or ex-prisoners examined by us disclose serious grievances—we are, however, of opinion that prisoners (like Govindji Vasanji and some others) unaccustomed to a rough life should never have been sent to serve their sentences in a prison of the Visapur type, which is intended for hardy convicts whose
normal occupation is manual labour; the former class naturally feel the discomfort and, possibly, degradation inseparable from a convict gang existence more keenly. The buildings, with the other measures employed, are suitable for their purpose, but their temporary nature must be recognised. Medical and sanitary arrangements are adequate, but the scarcity of water is a drawback.
Fetters must continue to be employed. We are not unanimous about the bel chain, but the majority consider that, in the circumstances of this gaol, it cannot safely be dispensed with, and find no ground for the allegation that its use is barbarous or degrading. The present gaol should not be continued at Visapur, nor should a gaol of regular type be built there after the dam is completed. If another camp gaol is built elsewhere, then convicts at Visapur should be drafted to it, otherwise they must be drafted to the various existing regular prisons on completion of the work on which they are engaged.
Latrine arrangements should be improved by the provision of more seats and a greater degree of privacy, and attention should be paid to the provision of an adequate supply of water for latrine purposes. Prisoners should have a half-weekly bath if this is possible. The superior staff should, as far as possible, check and punish unnecessary hustling of prisoners during the night and at early morning and latrine parades; and complaints of ill-treatment which have any colour of foundation should be reported to the superintendent without delay.
Sundays and other holidays prescribed in the gaol manual should be whole holidays, and not half holidays only, save for such necessary work as the manual mentions.
Poona, 29th November, 1922.
(Signed) H. L. PAINTER,
Commissioner, C.D., (Chairman),
G. MONTEATH,
Collector,
Ahmednagar,
G. K. CHITALE.
European Civil Servants (Retirement)
9.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many officials in the different European Civil Services have retired in each province under the proportionate pensions scheme since the offer was first made; and whether there is any reason to believe that these retirements are due to dissatisfaction with the conditions of pay and prospects in those Services?
I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement giving the figures, which, I should explain, represent the number of applications for permission to retire received and sanctioned by my Noble Friend. But in many cases the retirement has not yet actually taken place, as the applicants all have a considerable period of leave at their credit, which they are entitled to take before going on pension; and in some cases they have not yet left India. In a few cases, too, permission to retire has been cancelled at the request of the applicants who have changed their minds. As regards the second part of the question, I have no reliable information as to the motives of those applicants, who are not required to make any further declaration
| STATEMENT of Retirements on Proportionate Pension Sanctioned by the Secretary of State India in Council up to the 7th May, 1923. | |||||||||
| — | Indian Civil Service. | India Police Service. | Indian Educational Service. | Indian Service of Engineers. | Indian Forest Service. | Indian Agricultural Service. | Indian Veterinary Service. | Total. | |
| Madras | … | 6* | 6 | 4‡ | 8 | — | 2 | 1 | 27 |
| Bombay | … | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 33 |
| Bengal | … | 13 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 36 |
| United Provinces | … | 11 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| Punjab | … | 11 | 21 | — | 6 | 3 | — | 1 | 42 |
| Bihar and Orissa | … | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 10 |
| Central Provinces | … | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Assam | … | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 6 |
| Burma | … | 8† | 5 | — | 8 | — | — | — | 21 |
| Total | … | 65 | 88 | 22 | 40 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 245 |
* Includes one Indian member of the Indian Civil Service. | |||||||||
| † Includes one Indian member of the Indian Civil Service and three military officers serving in the Burma Commission. | |||||||||
| ‡ Includes one member of the Indian Educational Service (Women's Branch). | |||||||||