§ MR. GIBSONasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether, in the matter of the Madras Civil Service grievances, and with reference to the concessions granted last year by the Secretary of State for India, in order partially to relieve the block of promotion in the Service, the Madras Government, upon finding that those concessions had not had the desired effect, owing to the limited scope given to them, some time ago recommended certain extensions of them to the Government of India; whether, if the Government of India have not yet forwarded the recommendations made for the consideration and orders of the Secretary of State, they may be required to do so without further delay; and, whether, in the same matter, it is true that the Government of India have, of their own motion, in order to carry out a system of grading not yet approved by the Secretary of State in Council, readjusted the emoluments of certain high executive appointments in the Madras Presidency; and, if so, whether he will cancel, with retrospective effect, the changes brought about, as being made without his sanction, and as aggravating the grievances complained of?
§ MR. J. K. CROSSSir, it appears from the proceedings of the Government of Madras, that last January, they made recommendations of the nature referred to in the first part of the right hon. and learned Gentleman's Question. No despatch on the subject, however, has yet been received from the Viceroy, who, no doubt, is considering the matter before addressing the Secretary of State on the subject. The latter portion of the Question relates, I presume, to a system of grading, such as prevails in the other Presidencies. This has been the subject of correspondence between the Governments of Madras and Bombay, and must be submitted for the sanction of the Secretary of State in Council before it can be carried out. I may add that the system of grading has 584 already, so far as the general principle is concerned, been approved by the Secretary of State in Council, subject to obtaining the matured opinion of the Government of Madras upon it.