§ 18. Lieut. - Colonel HOWARD - BURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has any further information with regard to the alleged asault at Spencer's Hotel, Madras?
§ Earl WINTERTONYes, Sir. My Noble Friend has received a full account of the incident from the official concerned and the comments of his official superiors. He is satisfied that no assault was committed on the Indian servant by the official in question and that the admitted assault by the wife of the official was of a trifling nature. As the assault was not committed by a Government officer it rested not with Government, but with the person assaulted to take action. The servant, however, in spite of the assistance of numerous advisers, did not think fit to file a complaint in Court.
Sir J. DAVIDSONMay I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Preston (Mr. T. Shaw) was present on the occasion and witnessed the assault?
§ Earl WINTERTONAccording to the statement of the official in question, he was not present.
§ Lieut.-Colonel HOWARD-BURYIs it not very undesirable that these unfounded accusations should be made against British officers, and do they not do a great deal of harm?
§ Mr. NEIL MACLEANArising out of the question put by the hon. and gallant Member for Fareham (Sir J. Davidson), is it not out of Order to put a question relating to the personal integrity or veracity of an hon. Member of this House, in the absence of that hon. Member, when no notice has been given to him of the intention to put the question?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt seems to me that does not arise out of the point under discussion. We are dealing now only with official facts.
§ Mr. MACLEANBut was not the name of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Preston brought into the matter in the Supplementary Question?
§ Mr. KIRKWOODIn a dirty Tory manner it was brought in.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe question as I heard it was whether the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Preston was present on the same occasion. I think that is merely a matter of fact. I do not think there is any reflection on the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Preston.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODThat was what the question was put for. You know that quite well.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEWill the Noble Lord take steps to make the answer he has given in the House as public in India as was the original statement?
§ Earl WINTERTONI regret very much that so much attention and so much prominence were given in the first place to what appears to have been a very trivial case of assault, where no British official was concerned.