§ SIR D. MACFARLANEI beg to ask the Secretary of State for India on what grounds the expenditure of the Go- 1021 vernment of India on military and special defence works (amounting in 1875–6 to Rx. 1,337,000, and in 1892–3 to Rx. 1,654,000, or an increase of Rx. 317,000), has been left out of the Return entitled East India (Military Expenditure), and dated India Office, 8th June, 1894; why that Return deals with gross expenditure instead of net expenditure, seeing that, owing to a diminution in Army receipts, net expenditure during the 18 years covered by the Return has increased by nearly Rx. 200,000 more than gross expenditure has increased; and on what principle the various sums spent on military expeditions and classed in the Return as exceptional payments are also included under the ordinary headings of effective Army expenditure in India, except those spent on the Afghan and Egyptian Wars?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. H. H. FOWLER,) Wolverhampton, E.In reply to the hon. Member's first question, "Military Expenditure" is in the Indian Accounts understood to mean expenditure on "Army Services," military works being classed under buildings and roads and special defence works forming a separate head. In reply to the second question, the Return deals with gross instead of net expenditure, because the former figures show the true increase of expenditure more clearly than the latter, which are affected by the casual sales of surplus stores, &c. As regards the third question, the sums spent on military expeditions are included in the Return under the head "Miscellaneous Services," but it was thought that it would be convenient to the House to have a supplementary approximate statement of the exceptional payments to enable it to appreciate more clearly how far the normal military expenditure has increased. I may add that the Return of the net income and expenditure of British India, dated 13th July last, supplies the information referred to in the first two questions from the year 1883–4 onwards.
§ SIR D. MACFARLANEWhy is not expenditure on railways to the frontiers and fortifications included in the Return of military expenditure in India?
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERBecause they do not form part of the "Army Services."