§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is true that Sir Richard Temple, the Lieutenant Governor of Bombay, refused the use of the Bombay Town Hall for a public meeting called to petition Parliament with respect to the financial proposals of the Government; whether Sir Richard Temple, while Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, did not similarly refuse the use of the Calcutta Town Hall for a meeting called to petition Parliament on the subject of Municipal Government Reform; and, whether the Government authorises his conduct in this respect?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTON, in reply, said, the Government had no official information on the subject, but he had seen a statement in the newspapers to that effect. In refusing the use of the Town Hall, Sir Richard Temple was acting within his undoubted right. As Her Majesty's Government had received no communication from the Government of India or any complaint from those interested, it did not seem a matter to call for any expression of opinion.
§ MR. JOHN BRIGHTSir, I should like to know whether this refusal to allow the use of the Town Hall has been put in force before, or whether this was the first occasion on which the Town Hall has been refused when application has been made to hold a public meeting in it?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONI stated before that I had no information whatever on the subject beyond what appeared in the newspapers to the effect that Sir Richard Temple had refused the use of the Bombay Town Hall for a public meeting.
§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is true that the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab has prohibited the attendance of all officers and teachers in the Education Department at a proposed Educational Congress, for the purpose of considering the best means of promoting the diffusion of literary and scientific knowledge among the people, on the ground that officials cannot be permitted to pass criticisms on "the organization and work of the Education Department;" whether congresses of schoolmasters, school inspectors, and others connected with public education in England are similarly prohibited; and, whether Government sanctions this policy of prohibiting persons in any way connected with the Indian Government from taking part in such discussions whose outcome might amount to suggestions of possible reform in the existing system?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONIn reply to the Question of the hon. Member, I can only say that we have no information of any kind on this subject.