Sir SEYMOUR KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to recent speeches of the chairmen of the leading Indian railways at their general meetings, and in particular of the chairman of the Bengal and North-Western Railway, complaining of certain orders issued by the Railway Board, and pointing out that the methods which the latter desired introduced had raised the ratio of working expenses to gross earnings on the State railways by 20 per cent since the Board were appointed at the end of 1908, whereas the ratio on other railways bad remained practically stationary; whether the Secretary of State has received representations 1402W from the boards of all the principal Indian railways against the attitude of the Railway Board and the impracticable nature of their orders; whether the Railway Board have gone so far as to threaten to withhold their signature to the half-yearly accounts unless these orders are complied with; and whether he is now in a position to make any statement of a reassuring nature on the whole of the questions at issue?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe whole question of the orders by the Railway Board which are referred to is now under the consideration of the Secretary of State and he is not in a position at present to make a statement.