INDIA AND BURMA SERVICES. (Hansard, 6 March 1939)

§ The Under-Secretary of State for India (Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead)
The object of this Supplementary Estimate is to obtain Parliamentary authority to implement an offer made by His Majesty's Government which was the subject of a Press communiqué on 13th September last, when the House was not sitting. This offer was, firstly, to increase the annual grant-in-aid made to Indian defence expenditure from £1,500,000 to £2,000,000 a year; secondly, to make a capital grant of £5,000,000 for the re-equipment of certain units, both British and Indian; and, 1824 thirdly, to re-equip certain squadrons with more modern aircraft. In 1933 a Tribunal sat, under the chairmanship of Sir Robert Garran, to inquire into certain matters of defence expenditure which were in dispute between the Government of India, the War Office, and the Air Ministry. That Tribunal, in the course of its report, expressed the opinion: That the Army in India is a force, ready in an emergency to take the field at once, which does not exist elsewhere in the Empire, which is specially available for immediate use in the East, and which has on occasion been so used. Following on that expression of opinion, the Tribunal recommended that a contribution be made annually from His Majesty's Government to the Indian Revenue, and subsequently an annual sum of £1,500,000 was agreed upon, and that annual grant has been paid ever since. It will be within the recollection of the Committee that on 10th March last the Secretary of State for War, speaking on the Army Estimates, said that the Prime Minister had authorised the starting discussions on the subject of the role of the land and air forces in India, both from the point of view of defence problems in India and from the wider point of view of Imperial Defence problems as a whole. Last Autumn, although there had not then been time to arrive at complete agreement on all points, the discussions had reached a point which, in view of the urgency of the matter, enabled certain interim decisions to be taken. It enabled an offer to be made to the Government of India, subject, of course, always to Parliamentary approval, first of all to increase the annual grant, secondly to mke a capital grant towards the new equipment in connection with modernising the Army, and, thirdly, to re-equip certain aircraft squadrons with more modern aircraft.

§ Mr. Wedgwood Benn
As to the discussions regarding the role of the Army in India, by which I take it that the hon. and gallant Gentleman meant both the British Army in India and the Indian Army, can he say between whom the discussions took place?

§ Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead
They were, I think, professional discussions, but I could not say exactly who were involved in them.

§ Mr. Benn
Am I right in supposing that these sums are for the Indian Army as well as for the British Army in India?

§ Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead
Yes, I think I said that, with regard to the capital grant, the re-equipment of certain Army units, both British and Indian, was included. The factors which influenced these decisions were, first, the need of modernising the units of the Indian Army in view of the fact that they might be employed outside India and side by side with other units, and, secondly, the fact that no more expenditure could reasonably be expected from the Indian Revenues on the subject of defence. The Government of India had suggested in this connection that an expert body of inquiry should go out to India and examine the military and financial problems on the spot and should report in due course before the discussions to which I have already alluded were finally completed. Its report has now been received and is being considered, both here and in India, and it had a considerable bearing on the decisions taken last Autumn.
With regard to the items in the Estimate, the bigger item is for £300,000 in respect of aircraft. If a decision is arrived at on the Chatfield Committee's Report before 31st March, it will, of course, be possible to despatch the aircraft to India, but in point of fact it will otherwise be possible to do so, because these aircraft for the re-equipment of the Indian squadrons have not been specially ordered for the purpose, but have merely been earmarked and can, if necessary, easily be put to other uses. Therefore, even if no decision is arrived at before 31st March on the subject of the Chatfield Committee's recommendation, it will still be possible to send those aircraft to India, without involving any expenditure upon this Vote. They might, for instance, go on the basis that the Government of India took them on the understanding that they would refund out-of-pocket expenses and any damage incurred. With regard to the capital sum for Army re-equipment, the sum of £10 is merely put in as a token, as it was thought convenient that the Committee should have, as it were, a complete picture of the expenditure involved. It was certainly not thought, anyhow, that any expenditure on this item should be incurred before 31st 1826 March. Consequently, anything in this connection which will be required will be a matter for inclusion in next year's Estimates. The Committee may wonder why the third point which I mentioned, namely, the increase of the annual grant, is not subject to inclusion in a Supplementary Estimate. That, of course, will only date from 1st April next, so that it will come within next year's Estimates anyhow.

Mr. Benns
After thanking the hon. and gallant Gentleman for his explanation, I should like to ask a general question. How far is an effort being made to interest Indian public opinion in these things? We know quite well—I can remember from the days of the last Indian Round Table Conference—how eager Indian politicians were to be associated with the task of modernising the Army, and it would be interesting if the hon. and gallant Gentleman could tell us, now that we have come to the time to make large grants for the defence of India, how far some effort is being made to interest the Indian Legislative Assembly and patriotic Indian opinion in this programme for defence measures, taken, not only for India, but, as the hon. and gallant Gentleman said, for the purpose of being of use in the other parts of the Empire as well.

§ Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead
I think on that point one might say that patriotic Indian opinion is already very keenly interested in Indian defence matters, and very considerable proof has been given of that in the past and indeed quite recently. I do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman read a very remarkable and, I thought, inspiring speech—I am rather afraid that in the general flow of news at the time of the crisis it was rather submerged—made by the Prime Minister of the Punjab, in which he gave a most complete assurance of support from the Punjab, which, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, supplies a large portion of the troops in the Indian Army. It is true that the question of defence is a reserved service, and I am not suggesting that any alteration is going to be made in that, but it is true that members of the Legislature are always being invited to visit troops, military units, and establishments, and, indeed, I think the fact 1827 that interest in defence matters is general is signified by the many questions which are asked and answered in the Assembly.

§ Mr. Benn
I am obliged to the hon. and gallant Gentleman, but I would make this comment, that I believe very sincerely that you will never give the fullest effect to your measures for the defence of India until you can associate the Indian people directly with the defence of their own country.