§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the comments made in the Indian Press by 443W demobilised officers detained in India, he can take any steps to remove their grievances?
§ Mr. MONTAGUYes, Sir. In reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Melton (Sir C. Yate), I stated on the 18th April that I understood that the Government of India had telegraphed two months previously that the accommodation on troopships exceeded the demand by 1,000 berths. I added that if the hon. and gallant Member could let me have particulars and any recent details I would make inquiries. At the time that I gave this reply I was not aware that the position had unexpectedly become worse during the period of two months to which I referred. The trooping arrangements are made between the War Office and the Government of India who were in direct correspondence on the subject. This correspondence did not come before my notice, and I regret that my answer, though strictly correct as far as it went, conveyed the impression that the position was better than it actually was. The facts were, however, brought to my notice and inquiry was made of the Government of India within a few days. They had already taken steps to meet the situation by engaging all the available steamship passages from Indian ports. There is every reason to think all the officers in question, and their families, will all have been provided with passages very shortly.