§ MR. E. STANHOPEasked the Secretary of State for India, Whether he is now prepared to publish portions of the Report of the Indian Army Commission, which was presented more than two years ago, and of which a summary long ago appeared in India; and also any Correspondence that may have taken place with the Government of India on the subject?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONSir, the Report of the Simla Army Commission, transmitted to this country in February, 1880, was not accompanied by any recommendations by the Government of India, nor were any received on which it was practicable to take any action until March, 1881. These recommendations departed in some important respects, both of kind and degree, from those of the Commission; and though they have engaged the earnest attention of myself and the Council of India, still no final decision has yet been come to on the leading proposals for the reorganization of the Indian Army, a subject which involves many considerations both of policy and of general administration. We are still engaged on these questions, and hope, at no distant date, to be able to submit to the House both the Report, or a great portion of it, and the Correspondence emanating from it. Until I can do this in a fairly complete form, I do not think it will be satisfactory to prepare any Papers for presentation to Parliament. The primary ground advanced for the appointment of the Commission was the urgent necessity for effecting economies in the military expenditure; and I am glad to say that in this respect I have been able to adopt, in some degree, the recommendations of the Government, and to authorize the Government of India to carry out reductions in effective charges to a very considerable amount.
§ In reply to Mr. ONSLOW,
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, some of the reductions which were taking place would appear in the present Budget.