§ 8. Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary for India whether he is aware that arrangements were made in 1912 for the reception and judging of competitive designs for New Delhi and that such arrangements were subsequently withdrawn; and whether he can now give an explanation for this change of policy?
§ Mr. MONTAGUNo such arrangements as those described by the hon. Member were made. The Government of India at one time thought of inviting competitive designs for a typical secretariat building, but the idea was not pursued owing to the reopening of the question of the site of the new capital, and the subsequent decision to build Government House and adjoining Government offices through selected architects.
§ 9. Mr. KINGasked the cost of the temporary buildings recently erected at Delhi in connection with the transfer of the capital from Calcutta; whether the temporary buildings thus erected were designed by the architects permanently employed by the Government of India; and whether more temporary buildings at 1644 Delhi are contemplated; and, if so, by whom will they be designed?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe estimated cost of providing temporary buildings at Delhi is £396,700, of which it is expected £110,000 will eventually be recovered. The Secretary of State is not aware that further temporary buildings will be required. No special arrangements were made, so far as is known to him, for the designing of these buildings.
§ Mr. KINGThe hon. Gentleman has not said anything about the architects employed: were these temporary buildings designed and carried out by the staff of the Government of India?
§ Mr. MONTAGUSo far as the Secretary of State is aware no special arrangements were made by the Government for engineers or architects.
§ 10. Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary for India whether the terms of engagement of Messrs. Lutyens and Baker, selected architects for the Government of India, have been finally settled or signed; and whether, if not already signed, such agreement will be delayed till after discussion in this house on the Report of the New Delhi Town Planning Report?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe agreement with the selected architects is in process of settlement. The Secretary of State does not propose to adopt the suggestion made in the last part of the question.
§ 11 Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary for India (1) whether he will grant the Return standing in the name of the hon. Member for North Somerset: ["Return of the Reports of the consulting architect to the Government of India on all questions submitted to him since December, 1911, to the present time connected with New Delhi; the consulting architect's introduction to Report on Modern Indian Architecture, recently published in India; and any Reports submitted by Mr. H. V. Lanchester to the Viceroy of India or Secretary of State which have bearing on the building or planning of New Delhi"]; (2) whether the notes or Reports of Mr. H. V. Lanchester on the planning of New Delhi will be published, so that they may be compared with the Report of the Town Planning Committee; and (3) whether he will publish as a White Paper the introduction by Mr. Begg, consulting architect to the Government of India, to the Report on Modern Indian Architecture, 1645 recently published in India, so that the views on the building of New Delhi of the official adviser to the Government of India may be more fully known?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe Report on Modern Indian Architecture has been placed in the Library of the House, and is procurable from booksellers of Indian publications. The Secretary of State does not consider the introductory chapter by the consulting architect to the Government of India, of sufficient importance to be laid. The other documents mentioned by the hon. Member are not of a form or of a nature for presentation to Parliament.
§ Mr. KINGDoes the hon. Gentleman realise that by more or less suppressing these documents he is preventing the House and the public from forming any opinion of the policy of the Government of India?
§ Mr. MONTAGUAs regards the first document to which my hon. Friend refers, it is already in the Library of the House, and cannot be considered to have been suppressed. In regard to the documents mentioned in the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question, I think if the hon. Member will wait until the issue of the Report which we are going to publish he will then see whether he wants any further information.
§ 14. Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary for India, whether the opinion of Mr. Begg, consulting architect to the Government of India, recently expressed in an official publication, that the renaissance or classical is the costliest manner of building in India, will be communicated to the selected architects for New Delhi; and whether they will be asked to draw their plans with a view to all possible economy?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe Report to which the hon. Member refers has already been communicated to the architects. The necessity for studying economy has already been impressed upon them by the Government of India.
§ Mr. MONTAGUEconomy is always strictly pursued in these matters.