§ Mr. O'GRADYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he can now state if the Government of Bengal is subsidising a wekly newspaper published in Bengali; how long the subsidy has been paid; and whether it was granted under a guarantee of a certain minimum circulation, or only to secure that Government views should find expression in the columns of the papers?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe Government of India telegraph as follows:—"An agreement has been entered into between the Government of Bengal and the Editor of the 'Indian Mirror,' Rai Norandra Nath Sen Bahadur, who has undertaken to publish, on the lines of the 'Indian Mirror,' a weekly vernacular paper, of which the Government engage to subscribe for 25,000 copies. The term of the agreement is three years, with the condition that during that period the Rai Bahadur retains the paper under his direction. An annual sum of Rs. 62,500, one quarter of which has been paid in advance, will cover the cost to Government. The proposal is to distribute the copies widely in the districts in Gov-Government offices, educational institutions, and the panchayats. The date of issue of the first number cannot as yet be announced by the Rai Bahadur. No precedent for this course can be cited. The Government of India explain that they considered it necessary, pari passu with repressive legislation, to attempt positive measures to assist and encourage the spread of sober opinions and accurate information where the intention and acts of Government were concerned." A similar scheme has been undertaken in Eastern Bengal and Assam for one year, at a cost of Es. 20,000.
§ Mr. O'GRADYMay I ask the hon. Gentleman whether the India Office or the Indian Government has taken any cognisance of the fact that the great bulk of the papers in India, whether Anglo-Indian or venacular, have protested against these subsidies, and whether any step has been taken in the matter?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI have seen cuttings and quotations from the Indian newspapers in the sense suggested by the hon. Gentleman, but I have confined my answer intentionally to the recitation of the facts, as stated by the Government of India. The hon. Gentleman is aware of the lamentable circumstances in which I 1012 have not been able to consult the Secretary of State for India, and I would rather for the moment confine myself to the facts given in the answer.
§ Mr. O'GRADYMay I ask who is going to be the authority for putting particular news or a particular feature of politics into this paper—whether it is going to be the Viceroy or the editor?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe control of the paper is in the hands of the editor whose name I have given.
§ Mr. O'GRADYAre you going to manufacture their politics for them?