§ 2. Mr. R. YOUNGasked the Secretary of State for India whether it is obligatory for those in control of the Indian railways to maintain among their employés a battalion or other number of volunteers; whether, to enable this to be done, soldiers taking their discharge in India are engaged as guards, firemen, etc.; and whether he will state the hours of employment and the wages paid for such work, apart from overtime payments, to ex-soldiers so employed?
§ Mr. MONTAGUIt is not obligatory on the several Indian railway administrations to maintain volunteer forces from 367 among their employees, although most of them do so. Discharged soldiers are engaged as guards, firemen, etc., not with the object of maintaining the volunteer corps, but because they are suitable for work which the railways have to offer. Their hours of employment and wages are the same as for other railway employees of the same class. A normal day's work is usually reckoned as eight hours. Wages vary on different lines, and in the case of both guards and firemen are usually made up of a fixed amount plus a mileage allowance.