§ MR. S. SMITHI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been drawn to the recent statement of Lord Northbrook that India was for a period of 14 years, up to 1884, charged with a sum of £4,000,000 a year, in consequence of the mode of adjusting military expenses between England and India, of which sum one-half ought to have been borne by the Imperial Exchequer; (2) whether at the meeting of the new Legislative Council in Calcutta, Lord Lansdowne will be empowered to give any explanation on this subject; and (3) whether, considering the condition of Indian Finance, the Home Government will consent to a revision of the existing adjustment of military expenses?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELLYes, Sir. Lord Northbrook's statement referred to the system of paying the capitalised value of each pension which was abandoned in 1884. (2) It would be open to the Viceroy to give explanations in answer to any question on the subject in the Legislative Council. (3) As any such revision would affect several Departments of the Government, the Secretary of State is unable to give an answer to my hon. Friend's last question.