§ Major POLEasked the Secretary of State for India the number of vacancies in the commissioned ranks of the executive and engineering branches of the Royal Indian Marine offered to Indian candidates during the last year, and the number of Indian entered for training as wireless operators in the Royal Indian Marine in the same period, and the number of appointments made in each case?
§ Mr. BENNDuring the last 12 months, three vacancies were offered in May, 1930, for candidates to be trained for commissions in the executive branch. As no candidate succeeded in qualifying, these vacancies were carried forward to November, 1930, when one candidate qualified and was appointed. Four training vacancies in the engineering branch were offered and one candidate qualified and has been appointed. In addition, one Anglo-Indian who already possessed technical qualifications has just been appointed direct to this branch. The system of training Indians as wireless operators under specialists sent out from this country has only just been started, and I have not yet heard whether any Indians have actually been entered for such training.