§ MR. STANHOPE (Burnley)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India if he can state the estimated annual cost to be incurred by the proposed addition of ninety-two European officers to Punjab and Bengal native regiments; and whether these officers will be always selected from the Indian Staff Corps, or from officers of British regiments serving their term in India, in some cases, appointed by patronage or by the Commander-in-Chief; and whether selections for these additional officers could be made from experienced native commissioned officers already borne on the strength of these Punjab and Bengal regiments.
§ LORD G. HAMILTONThe addition of ninety-two British officers to the Indian Establishment will involve a
* See page 865 of this volume.1315 gradually increasing expenditure, which it is estimated will eventually amount, about twenty-five years hence, to about eight and a quarter lakhs of rupees per annum. These officers will form an increase to the Indian Staff Corps, which is recruited partly by appointments direct; from Sandhurst, and partly, under strictly defined regulations, from British regiments serving in India. The object of the measure is to increase the number of British officers in India, and this obviously would not be attained by selecting native commissioned officers.