§ LORD WAVENEYasked the Secretary of State for India, Whether it 613 might not be practicable, without injury to the public service, to detach dismounted Cavalry and Gunners of Her Majesty's regular forces (European) in India to Hill Stations for sanitary reasons; and whether the Indian Government propose to extend the system of Sanataria for the women and children of the European troops?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY, in reply, said, it was not desirable to detach dismounted cavalry and gunners to hill stations in the way suggested by the noble Lord. The Government of India had been for a long time expending a great deal of labour and money in improving the sanitary condition of various places in which troops were stationed. The result was, that in many of those stations the death rate was much lower than it had been, and the sanitary statistics would compare favourably with those of any other quarters in the world. As to the second part of the noble Lord's Question, he did not know whether the noble Lord meant that the women were to go to the sanataria without their husbands.
§ LORD WAVENEYsaid, its object was to know whether the Government would be disposed to supplement the voluntary assistance that had been given, and extend the system of sanataria for the women and children of the European troops? Colonel Sir Frederic Fitz-wygram, lately on Indian service, had given £10,000 to be applied for the benefit of the wives and children of Cavalry troops only for a sanatarium; and he wished to know whether Her Majesty's Government were disposed to assist further that voluntary contribution in providing sanataria for the women and children of the troops generally, independent of the regimental and divisional sanataria?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYsaid, he had no information as to the circumstances connected with the fund just referred to by the noble Lord; but he could at once say that he did not think encouragement should be given by the Government of India to any proposal for unnecessarily separating the women from their husbands. Of course, the health of women and children was attended to at the stations as well as that of the men; but a plan for sending the women and children to separate sanataria was one which could not be encouraged.