§ SIR CHARLES DILKE (Gloucestershire, Forest of Dean)To ask the Secretary of State for India, if he can inform the House what was the number of Regular troops, British and Native, serving in India with the colours in 1900, 1901 and 1902 and what is the number so serving at the date of the last Return; whether he can also state the expenditure of India on military services and strategic railways in 1900, 1901, and 1902, and that actually incurred in 1906–7, and the relation of numbers to cost as shown by dividing the figures of charge by those of numbers in each case.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) The number of Regular troops including officers, British and Native, serving in 673 India with ten colours in the years stated was as follows—
§ 1st April, 1900, 186,352; 1st April, 1901, 190,140; 1st April, 1902, 195,290, and on the 1st December, 1906, it was 226,177.
§ Note.—During the years, 1900, 1901, and 1902 from 20,000 to 27,000 troops, were serving in South Africa, China, and the Colonies.
§ The not expenditure of India on effective military service was—
| £ | |
| 1900–1 | 11,347,997 |
| 1901–2 | 11,905,994 |
| 1902–3 | 13,338,536 |
§ The actual expenditure for 1906–7 is not yet known; the latest estimated expenditure for that year was £15,733,900. On the basis of these figures the relation of numbers to cost, determined in the manner suggested by the right hon. Member, is as follows—
| £ | s. | d. | |
| 1900 | 60 | 17 | 11 |
| 1901 | 62 | 12 | 4 |
| 1002 | 68 | 6 | 0 |
| 1906–7 | 69 | 11 | 3 |
§ The expenditure on strategic railways in the years mentioned was as follows—
| £ | |
| 1900–1 | 78,519 |
| 1901–2 | 221,102 |
| 1902–3 | 220,714 |
| 1906–7 | 560,000 |
§ The figures for 1906–7 are estimates only.