§ MR. SAMUEL SMITH (Flintshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the Government intend to throw upon India the increased charge caused by their proposal to raise the pay of the soldier in the British Army, and how much this will come to; whether the British soldier serving in India will receive this increased pay at an exchange of 1s. 4d. the rupee, thus giving him an advantage over the Native soldier, whose pay calculated in rupees is not affected by the rate of exchange; whether the British soldier on a shilling a day will in such case receive Rs. 23 per month, while the Native soldier receives Rs. 8 a month and has to feed himself; and whether, under these circumstances, the Government will consent that this increased charge should be borne by this country?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIAI am in communication with the Government of India on the subject of the increased charges which will be 474 caused by the proposals of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the increase in the pay of the British Army. The Question to be settled is very complicated, the grocery ration in India being on quite a different basis from that adopted in this country, and I am not yet in a position to say what the effects of the change will be. In any case, the cost of the British Army in India will continue to be borne, as it has always been borne, by India.