MR. MAC NEILI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India, with regard to the fact that, under the Court Fees Act in the North-West Provinces, the valuation of land in permanently settled districts is fixed at ten times the annual rental, whereas in districts not permanently settled the valuation is only five times the annual rental; whether, in view of this official testimony, and the greater value of permanently settled land, and in view also of the conditions laid lown in the correspondence on the subject, the Secretary of State will redeem the pledge given in 1862, and proceed to permanently settle the land still held on a 30 years' settlement in Madras, Bombay, parts of Bengal, the North-West Provinces, the Punjab, and the Central Provinces; and whether he will state why there has been so great a delay in carrying out the arrangements decided upon nearly 30 years ago?
SIR J. GORSTI think the hon. Member has fallen into a little error. There is no delay to explain. The proposals made in 1862 were re-considered, in accordance with the recommendation of the Select Committee of 1871, and a final order, formally abandoning them, was issued in 1883.
MR. MAC NEILLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a resolution was passed urging on the Government the extension of the permanent land system?
SIR J. GORSTThe proposals of 1862 were finally abandoned some years ago, and the resolution referred to by the hon. Member is an entirely new matter.