§ SIR SEYMOUR KING (Hull, Central)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to a report of the finding and sentence of a court-martial at Ferozepore on a conductor charged with taking bribes from a contractor; whether in the finding and sentence, confirmed by Sir Power Palmer, where the charges are usually printed, blanks appear in the Punjab Command Orders, so that it is not stated who offered the bribe, what firm tendered for the stores, or what the stores were; and whether, having regard to the recent publicity afforded in a similar case by the War Office, he will direct that the full particulars shall be made public in India, and, further, ascertain at whose instance the facts were suppressed.
§ LORD G. HAMILTONMy attention has been called to the report of the court-martial referred to. Blanks do occur, as stated by my hon. friend. I will ask the Government of India to make inquiries and to inform me as to the reason for the omissions in question.