§ MR. E. STANHOPEasked the Under Secretary of State for India, If, having regard to the fact that all the money expended up to 1880 upon the construction of the Quetta Railway has been charged to the account of the War in Afghanistan, he can now state under what head of account the expenditure now being incurred for the completion of the Railway will be charged?
§ MR. ONSLOWasked whether the hon. Gentleman could state the present contract per mile of this railway, and the price per mile before the railway was broken up in 1880?
§ MR. J. K. CROSSThere was no contract previously for the railway, and there is none now; in fact, there is no estimate formed at all. The hon. Gentleman speaks of "all the money expended up to 1880 on the construction 468 of the Quetta Railway "as having been "charged to the account of the War in Afghanistan." I may point out that this may lead to some misapprehension. The total amount spent to the end of 1880–1 on proposed lines from the Indus to Candahar was £1,713,946, of which £595,987 was transferred in 1881–2 to the account of war in Afghanistan. It is intended to place the present expenditure to the frontier railways account. But a considerable portion of the cost of the system of frontier railways now proposed—which system is described in Papers, No. 113, lately presented to Parliament—will necessarily be defrayed from borrowed money. The heading under which this portion of the expenditure will appear in the accounts has not been finally decided.