§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary for India a Question, of which I have given private notice, whether it is the fact that no Press correspondents will be allowed to accompany the punitive expedition which the Government of India is about to despatch against the Zakka Khels tribesmen; and, if so, who is responsible for this omission of the means of communication to the public here of the incidents of that expedition; and on what ground is this prohibition based laving regard to the restraining influence of the Press.
§ MR. MORLEYsaid he was not sure whether this regulation had been made or not, but he would inquire.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, S.)asked whether hon. Members would 1531 have any opportunity of expressing their opinion as to the policy of this expedition, or, indeed, whether it was wise at all?
§ MR. MORLEYsaid he did not know what his right hon. friend the Prime Minister would say, but personally he hoped that no discussion would take place till the expedition had at all events made some advance.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDasked whether the right hon. Gentleman could give any indication as to the probable cost of the expedition, how many men were to be employed in it, or was this war to be entered upon like all other wars without the slightest consideration.
§ MR. MORLEYsaid that His Majesty's Government had sanctioned this expedition, and the expedition must therefore continue. If the House was of opinion that it was a wrong expedition, or that its cost was likely to be excessive, it would be for the House to pronounce its judgment.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDasked what opportunities hon. Members would have of forming an opinion on the question, whether the information at the disposal of the Government was to be communicated in any way to hon. Members, or whether no opportunity whatever was to be given to them of expressing an opinion on a matter which would involve an expenditure of thousands and tens of thousands of pounds while people in this country were starving.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLasked whether the right hon. Gentleman, having regard to the importance of this subject, would have any objection to telegraph to the Indian authorities and Lord Kitchener asking whether it was true or not that this prohibition of war correspondents to accompany the expedition had been issued, and, if so, whether the House would be able to revise it.
§ MR. MORLEYsaid that he had already promised to ascertain the reasons for the regulation having been made; and, if it had been made, whether or not it might be altered.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDgave notice that he would take the earliest opportunity to draw attention to the practice of the Government of the day embarking on military operations without giving the representatives of the people any opportunity whatever of saying whether or not the expenditure was justified, and to move a Resolution declaring that expeditions of this kind should not be undertaken without giving hon. Members some opportunity of expressing the opinion of their constituents on the subject.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLsaid that the expedition was stated to be an expedition of a punitive character to inflict "speedy and condign punishment." Had the right hon. Gentleman considered the cost of money as well as of lives that would be involved?
§ MR. CORRIE GRANT (Warwickshire, Rugby)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that during the last great war our Japanese allies not only refused to allow war correspondents to accompany their troops, but provided them all with comfortable hotel accommodation at Tokyo?
§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)What is this war about?
§ MR. MORLEYsaid that if the information that had been already supplied to the House in the form of a Question and Answer circulated with the Votes that morning was read it would be seen that there was a perfectly good account given of the causes of the expedition.
§ MR. LUPTON (Lincolnshire, Sleaford)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman would telegraph instructions to India that the troops were not to burn buildings, orchards, farms, and so on, and to turn women and children out into the cold.
§ [No Answer was returned.]