MR. HERBERT ROBERTS (Denbighshire, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the Bengal Excise Bill has been referred to the Government of India for instructions as to certain clauses dealing with the procedure to be adopted to ascertain the existence of local opinion in regard to the opening of liquor shops; whether he will state whether there is any conflict of opinion between the Government of India and the local government upon the question of principle involved in these clauses; 1315 and when he will be in a position to state the views of the Government of India upon the subject.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordThe Answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. So far as the principle is concerned that the law should fix, as far as possible, a definite procedure for ascertaining local opinion, there is, I believe, no conflict of opinion between the two Governments. I cannot conveniently make any statement as to the views of the Government of India until an amended Bill shall have been introduced into the Bengal Legislative Council. I have ascertained from the Viceroy that he has not yet received the; reply of the local government to the letter of the Government of India on the subject of the procedure provisions of the Bill.