Sir HERBERT ROBERTSasked the Under-Secretary for India whether he was in a position to state to what extent the Resolution of the Government of India, dated 15th August, 1907, directing that local opinion in regard to the number and sites of liquor shops should be consulted more systematically and recorded more definitely had been carried out; in how many towns and municipalities local committees had been set up for this purpose; the extent to which non-official opinion was represented on such committees; and whether, in the event of the information not being immediately available, he would call for a Return giving the necessary particulars?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY Of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Montagu)From the Excise Reports of the different provinces for 1908–9, and from other sources, the Secretary of State has obtained the following information as to the progress made in 958 forming local committees and as to their constitution. In Madras committees have been sanctioned for all municipalities; in the United Provinces for those with populations exceeding 20,000, in Bengal for 28, in Bombay for 20, in Burma for 10, in the Punjab for 7, in Eastern Bengal for 3. In the Central Provinces, where there are few-large towns, the formation of such committees is considered unnecessary, and the ordinary municipal committees will be consulted on licensing matters. The constitution of the committees varies in the different provinces, but the most general type is a committee of five or six, of whom three are officials and the rest non-official representatives of the municipality.