Dr. RUTHERFORDasked the Under-Secretary of State for India what method was adopted in the recent appointment of 39 assistant engineers to the Indian Public Works Department; were the vacancies advertised; was there a competitive examination, and, if so, where was it held; and what is the salary of an assistant engineer?
The UNDER-SECRETARY for INDIA (The Master of Elibank)I regret that in answering the hon. Member on this subject on 21st September I fell into an inaccuracy. The total number of appointments made this year was 30, not 39 as I then stated. The vacancies in question were widely advertised, and the applicants numbered over 230. There was no competitive examination; the selection was made by means of a committee, which included two eminent representatives of the engineering profession. The salary of an assistant engineer begins at £304 a year, and rises eventually to £528 a year. I shall be glad to supply the hon. Member, if he so desires, with a copy of the regulations giving full particulars of the method of appointment, qualifications, conditions of service, etc. The annual recruitment held in London is for the purpose of supplying what is essentially the European branch of the service; the essentially Indian branch, known as the Provincial Service, is recruited in India to the extent of fourteen appointments annually. These are made mainly from the Indian 1422 Engineering Colleges, supplemented by promotion from the Subordinate Establishment. Moreover, even in the case of the appointments made in England, the Secretary of State has directed that 10 per cent. of the total number of vacancies shall be filled each year by the appointment of Indians, should there be a sufficient number of qualified Indian applicants, and the full number of Indians were appointed under this rule this year.