§ MR. KING (Hull, Central)asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether the Government of India, having, since the Commission as constituted under Sir Charles Aitchison broke up, appointed a limited Sub-Committee to inquire into the subject of the admission not only of Natives but Europeans to all the more important branches of the Public Service connected with the Civil administration of the country, thus largely extending the scope of the inquiry, any arrangements have been made to give the Uncovenanted Service a fair opportunity of laying its grievances before the Committee; whether his attention has been called to the expressions 716 of alarm in the Indian Press and among the Anglo-Indian community at the course being pursued by the Government of India, owing to the suspicion that very important changes are contemplated in the organization and condition of the Services, especially in the direction of a large admission of Natives to important positions in the Services; whether the Under Secretary of State has information that the Bengal Chamber of Commerce has had submitted to it a letter strongly deprecating the course now being pursued by the Government in relation to this question; whether, having regard to the grave interests involved, he can make any statement with regard to the ultimate object of the inquiry, and the time within which it will be brought to a conclusion, which may have the effect of re-assuring investors and others having interests in India that no serious changes are about to be made in the direction indicated in the above letter; and, what object the Government of India has in view in its present proceedings?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JOHN GORST) (Chatham)The Public Service Commission has not broken up. It was originally appointed in consequence of a Despatch of the Earl of Kimberley, dated 15th July, 1886, to inquire into the admission of Natives of India to officers formerly reserved exclusively for members of the Covenanted Civil Service. The Resolution of the 4th October, 1886, appointing the Commission, and the Resolution of the 8th March last, appointing the Sub-Committee, referred to by the hon. Member, have been laid upon the Table. From the former of these Resolutions it will be seen that the necessity for appointing such a Sub-Committee as that referred to was contemplated from the first. The latter of the Resolutions states the subjects referred to the Sub-Committee for inquiry, as—
First, the present Regulations of the various Departments as to admission to the various grades and ranks in each; the conditions of service in each Department; and the capacity for rendering efficient service therein of the various classes who put forward claims to such employment.As regards the question of grievances, I must refer to the answer which I gave on the 12th. It is for the Commission and the Sub-Committee to make ar- 717 rangements for obtaining full information on the subjects of the inquiry; and I have no reason to suppose that the Uncovenanted Service will not be given a fair opportunity for stating its grievances. I hope that this explanation will dispel the alarms and suspicions referred to in the second and third paragraphs of the Question, which have found expression in the newspaper articles and the letter mentioned. As regards the action to be taken in the future, it is intended that the Sub-Committee shall conclude its inquiry by the autumn, and that then the Commission, as a whole, shall be re-constituted, for the purpose of pre-paring one single Report, covering the whole subject. The Report, it is expected, will be submitted to the Government of India in the course of next winter. Any changes which the Government of India may have to propose after considering the Report of the Commission will be submitted, in the ordinary course, to the Secretary of State in Council, and will be considered with the care due to the importance of the subject before receiving the sanction of Her Majesty's Government.