§ MR. RYLANDS (for Mr. E. JENKINS)asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether any supervision is exercised by the Indian Council over the shipment of Railway material and stores from Great Britain for the use of the Guarantee Railways in India generally or the East Indian Railway in particular; whether it is a fact that the general body of shipowners are virtually excluded from competing for the conveyance of such material and stores from the circumstance that all such shipments pass through the hands of particular brokers, who make it a condition that the ships taken shall be consigned to certain houses in the East, thus securing private profits; whether the results of this exclusion of competition is not to enhance very greatly the expense of the conveyance of such stores, and whether it is in the power of the Indian Council to secure that the contracts for such conveyance shall be unconditionally placed in the open market; and, whether he will cause to be prepared and laid upon the Table a Return of the freights paid during the past five years by the India Office for stores shipped on Government account, and rates paid by the various Indian Railways upon such stores respectively—distinguishing Railway materials from other stores?
§ MR. E. STANHOPESir, supervision is exercised by the India Office through the Government Director of Indian Railways over the shipments of stores for the guaranteed railways, including the East Indian. I understand that the East Indian Railway employ a broker to engage tonnage for the conveyance of their stores, and I have also heard that it is the practice of the Com- 1645 pany to consign their stores to particular firms in Calcutta; but I have no certain knowledge about it. But I am told by the Chairman, Mr. Crawford, that the suggestion that private profits are so-cured to individual members of the Board or their firms is quite erroneous. The result of this so-called "exclusion of competition" does not appear to have enhanced the expense of the conveyance. The rates paid by the East Indian Railway Company for the period of five or six years which I have examined do not compare unfavourably with those paid by others shipping at the same port. The India Office has, no doubt, the power to secure that such contracts shall be placed unconditionally in the open market; but it is doubtful if it would lead to economy. The expediency of employing or not employing a broker is a moot point, upon which the best authorities differ. It is thought undesirable to lay down any hard-and-fast rule in the matter, but to leave it to the discretion of the companies to obtain the best terms they can. There is no objection to laying on the Table a Return of the freights paid during the past five years by the India Office for stores shipped on Government account, and rates paid by the various Indian railways upon such stores respectively.