§ SIR J. GORST (Cambridge University)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether it is true, as reported in The Times, of 8th January, that the Native; State of Partabghar, with 80,000 inhabitants, is minting silver at the rate of 80,000 Rs. a day, while a still smaller State is pouring out 500,000 Rs. a day; and that the present issue of these States in a single day ex- 1438 ceeds the whole coinage during the past 30 years; whether this action of the Native States accounts for the large importation of silver into India, since the coinage of the rupee in the Mints of the Government of India has been stopped; whether the whole purpose of this stoppage will he frustrated if the free coinage of silver in all the Native Mints in India is carried on at the same rate as in Partabghar; and what steps the Secretary of State proposes to take in order to counteract the proceedings of the Native States?
§ * THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL,) North Beds.We have telegraphed to the Government of India for information on this subject, but have not yet received a reply.