§ Major GLYNasked the Under-Secretary of State for India what has been the total mileage of new railways laid down throughout India each year for the last eight years; what is the annual mileage contemplated this year and for the next two years; what is the value 294W of those works; and what proportion of these orders have been placed in Great Britain for rails and rolling stock as well as locomotives?
§ Earl WINTERTONThe new mileage opened and the amounts spent on new construction during the last eight years are as follow:
295W
— New Mileage New construction expenditure. Crores of rupees. 1919–20 200 .59 1920–1 365 1.34 1921–2 268 2.56 1922–3 382 3.58 1923–4 430 2.70 1924–5 233 2.75 1925–6 352 4.38 1926–7 338 6.47 (Budget Lines only). It is expected that about 900 new mileage will be opened in 1927–8, and it is hoped to maintain this figure during the two following years. A sum of about 7½ crores has been provided in the Indian Budget for expenditure on new lines during 1927–8, but it is not yet known what amounts will be so allocated in the two following years. It is not practicable to give the proportion of orders placed in Great Britain for rails, rolling-stock, etc., for all Indian railways, but the total orders placed outside India for all stores required for State lines, whether worked direct or by companies, since 1st January, 296W 1923, the date from which a special record has been kept, amount to about £22,500,000, and of these, fully 85 per cent. have been placed in Great Britain.