HC Deb 06 July 1896 vol 42 c795
MR. WOLFF

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether a syndicate is about to purchase the Burmese railways for the sum of £6,000,000; and, if so, whether the House will have an opportunity of discussing the matter?

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON,) Middlesex, Ealing

Proposals, after consultation with the Government of India, have been made, and are now under consideration, not for purchasing, but for taking over the working and extension of the Burma Railways by a company to be formed for the purpose; I am in hopes that a decision will speedily be arrived at. Transactions of this kind in connection with Indian railways are not infrequent, but it is not usual to submit them for discussion in Parliament, and I see no reason why in the present instance we should depart from the ordinary practice.