§ MR. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN (Kent, Faversham)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India what local officers in Bengal have been consulted as to the policy of making the Behar Cadastral Survey, or that of maintaining the Record-of-Right by an annual revision, or that of meeting the cost of these operations by fresh taxation on the land; could he state on what principle have some of the local Reports been included in the Returns made to this House, while others have been excluded; and whether those local Reports that have hitherto been omitted from the Returns can now be supplied, including the Reports of Mr. Chief Secretary Cotton, Sir Henry Harrison, Mr. Halliday, Commissioners Beames, Lord Ulick Browne and Barlow, the Commissioner of Chittagong, Deputy-Commissioner Oldham, and Collectors R. H. Wilson, Power (of Chumparun), D'Oyly, and Grierson?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL,) North Beds(1) The Secretary of State is unable to give the names of all the local officers consulted. (2) The Returns laid on the Table include all the Reports received from the Government of India, who appear in this matter to have followed their usual practice of submitting to the Secretary of State only such documents as are necessary to enable him to form an opinion. (3) It will be seen from the Returns that the views of several of the officers named are discussed in the Reports sent home by the Government of India. But the Secretary of State has no objection, if it is thought worth while, to ask the Government of India to send home the original documents specified by the hon. Member.