HC Deb 05 April 1935 vol 300 cc737-9

2.9 p.m.

Mr. MORGAN JONES

I beg to move, in page 134, line 3, to leave out "in his discretion."

The purpose of my Amendment is to secure that this power of appointment, if it be exercised by the Governor-General, shall not be exercised by him in his discretion, but on the advice of his Ministers. Those who are appointed will be exercising functions of considerable importance, not from the point of view of the Governor-General alone, but from the point of view of the Government itself, provincial or central, and it seems to us to be fair that those who are to audit the accounts even of provinces controlled by commissioners should not be people appointed on the recommendation of the Governor-General in the first instance. The point is well-known. It is the old point as to whether we ought to take away from these new Indian authorities the simple right of making appointments, subject, of course, to the final approval of the Governor-General or of the Governor as the case may be. I feel somewhat alarmed at these repeated efforts to withdraw from the Indian people any share in appointing, or even nominating, people for these various posts.

2.11 p.m.

Sir S. HOARE

I think there are particular reasons why these appointments should be made by the Governor-General in his discretion. In the-case of appointments to the staff of the Auditor of Indian Home Accounts, the staff will, I suppose, be mainly British, and that may be to some extent a justification for this form of appointment. There is another reason, which is even stronger. This department will be doing work outside the work connected with the departments of the responsible Ministers in India. For instance, the Auditor of Home Accounts will audit the accounts of the reserved departments, the political departments, and so on, for which the Governor-General is responsible in his discretion. That being so, I think it is essential that the appointments should be in the discretion of the Governor-General, in view of the fact that, as I have said, two sets of work will be done by these officials, on the one hand on behalf of the responsible government and on the other hand on behalf of the Governor-General and the India Office.

Amendment negatived.

Clause ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 241 ordered to stand part of the Bill.