§ MR. BRADLAUGHI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether he can state to the House the tenor of any communications received this year from the Viceroy on the subject of hall-marking, or whether he will lay upon the Table any correspondence on the subject?
SIR J. GORSTNo official communication has been received from the Government of India respecting the matter referred to, except a very recent telegram in reply to a Despatch of May 15th. As the correspondence is not yet closed, the Secretary of State cannot at present state the tenor of this telegram.
§ *MR. BRADLAUGHWill the right hon. Gentleman be surprised to hear that Colonel Ardagh, the Private Secretary of the Viceroy, wrote to say—
The case is one in which Imperial interests are involved, and the decision remains with Her majesty's Government, who have been made fully aware of the entire position of ball marking.
SIR J. GORSTNo, Sir; I am not at all surprised to hear that the Private' Secretary of the Viceroy has written on the subject?
§ *MR. BRADLAUGHI did not complain of Colonel Ardagh's letter, but I simply asked whether, as late as the 16th of June, Colonel Ardagh had communicated with the Secretary of State to the effect I have just read.
SIR J. GORSTI stated that the correspondence with the Viceroy on the subject of hall-marking has not yet closed, and, until it is closed, I am not in a position to make any statement.
§ *MR. BRADLAUGHThen I did not rightly understand the right hon. Gentleman at first to say that there had been no official communication except a telegram?
SIR J. GORSTThe hon. Gentleman understood me quite rightly. I said that there had been no official communication except a telegram.
§ *MR. BRADLAUGHThen there has been official correspondence between the Viceroy of India and the Secretary of State on the subject of hall-marking?
§ *MR. BRADLAUGHThen I beg to give notice that upon the Indian Budget, or at some other time, I shall read extracts from the correspondence.