§ MR. SAMUEL SMITH (Flintshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the mortality in native States in consequence of the famine, and especially in the districts of Rajputana, Godhra, and Baroda, and what measures, if any, have been taken to prevent it; and whether he will consider the advisability of having British officials appointed to superintend the arrangements for famine relief in native States whenever practicable.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord G. HAMILTON, Middlesex, Ealing)The mortality in the native States is, I am sorry to say, considerably in excess of that occurring in British territory. British officers have in many cases been lent to advise and assist the native Governments of the States, and loans have been, and will continue to be, made by the Indian Government to meet the expense of famine operations in territories outside British rule.