§ MR. TUITE (Westmeath, N.)asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether, in August, 1881, the Commissioner of the Nilgiri Hills, ex-officio President of the Municipality, ordered the local fund engineer to value certain municipal buildings in Ootacamund; whether the engineer reported their value to be Rs. 3200; whether, in spite of this valuation, these buildings were then sold privately to the senior member of the Madras Board of Revenue for Rs. 100 only; whether these facts were last year formally brought to public notice; and, whether, as the matter has been so severely commented on by the 526 Native and European Press in India, he will say whether these statements are true?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JOHN GORST) (Chatham)the statements alluded to in the Question have been made by one officer of the Madras Government, and denied by another. As no formal inquiry has been made into the accuracy of the statements, I am unable to say whether they are true or not.