§ 1. Mr. HANNONasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has considered the advantages offered to India by the scheme of a projected new Imperial line of fast steamships in reducing the mail transit time between England and Bombay by five days and the all-sea voyage between England and Bombay by seven days, and providing for the first time a fortnightly service of fast 2 ships between Australia and India, offering facilities for a rapid growth of trade between those countries; and whether, in view of the advantages which India and Australia would derive from such improved ocean communication, he is in a position to give an assurance that the Indian Government will co-operate with the Australian Commonwealth Government in the promotion of the scheme?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Earl Winterton)I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given last Monday to the hon. Member for North Newcastle-on-Tyne (Sir N. Grattan-Doyle).
§ Mr. HANNONHas the Indian Government given any consideration to this problem?
§ Earl WINTERTONI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave last Monday:
The proposals referred to are under the consideration of a Committee of the Imperial Conference, and my Noble Friend is therefore not at present in a position to give any indication as to any action which His Majesty's Government or the Government of India may take in the matter."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 15th November, 1926; col. 1523, Vol. 199.]
§ 20. Mr. HANNONasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he has under consideration a scheme for the establishment of an Imperial fast ship service, consisting of seven new large 22-knot ships of a type which does not 3 now exist, between Great Britain and Australia, via India and Ceylon, for the carriage of mails, passengers, and refrigerated and general cargo; and whether, seeing that the proposed service has received the approval of the Prime Minister of the Australian Commonwealth, and in view of the advantages which the proposed new service could provide for the extension of inter-Imperial trade, not only between Great Britain and Australia, but between Great Britain and India and between Australia and India, it will receive the support of His Majesty's Government?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for DOMINION AFFAIRS (Mr. Amery)It is not possible at present to add anything to the reply which I gave on the 9th November to questions on this subject addressed to me by the hon. Members for South Shields, Islington North, Kirkdale and Richmond.
§ Mr. HANNONMay I put another question down in the course of a fortnight or so?
§ Mr. AMERYI think if my hon. Friend does so in the course of a, week, I can, at any rate, tell him what the Conference has decided.
§ Commander BELLAIRSCan the right hon. Gentleman say when the existing subsidy will expire?