HC Deb 24 March 1899 vol 69 cc336-7
COLONEL DENNY

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the question of sufficiency of accommodation for lascars was fully considered by the Indian Government lately; whether a clause to assimilate the Indian to the British law in this particular was abandoned after careful consideration of a petition by the lascars themselves, who declared themselves to be fully satisfied with the existing arrangements; and whether it was shown on that occasion that the present allowance of space was ample for the health and comfort of the lascars?

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

The answers to all three clauses of my honourable Friend's Question are in the affirmative; but I should add that the Select Committee, on whose recommendation the proposal to increase the space for native crews was aban- doned, based to some extent their recommendation on the fact that they thought such an alteration of the law would be out of place in a Consolidation Bill.