25. Earl WINTERTONasked the Secretary of State for India if he can state the total number of arrests in British India for the periods 1st November, 1927 to 31st May, 1929 and 1st June, 1929 to 3rd December, 1930, respectively, for the following offences: sedition, incitement to violence, unlawful assembly, breaches of the salt and forest laws, and breaches of the ordinances issued by the Governor-General in council to maintain law and order?
§ Mr. BENNThe statistics asked for are included in an annual return by local governments, the latest available being those for the year 1929. To obtain the full statistics in the form desired by the Noble Lord, a reference to all district officers in India would be necessary, and I hesitate to impose such an additional burden on them at the present time.
Earl WINTERTONIn view of the strictures which the right hon. Gentleman himself has made on the late Administration in the course of Debate, does he not think that it is only fair that he should obtain these figures, when he can do so perfectly well by applying to the local Governments?
§ Mr. BENNI do not know to what strictures of mine the Noble Lord refers; perhaps he will inform me; but I think it would not be fair to ask every district officer to make a special return for this purpose at this moment.
Earl WINTERTONIn the course of the Debate the right hon. Gentleman asserted that there was a, new spirit—
Earl WINTERTONOn a point of Order. May I, Mr. Speaker, as a member of the late Administration, ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he would reconsider whether he cannot obtain more recent figures than those for 1929—say up to the middle of 1930?
§ Mr. BENNI will gladly make every effort that is possible to obtain for the Noble Lord the information which is available. All that I ask of the Noble Lord is that he will not ask me to send special messages to district officers to make returns.