asked the Under-secretary of State for India whether he is now in a position to give the terms of reference and full personnel of the Royal Commission to inquire into labour conditions in India?

My noble Friend regrets that he is not yet in a position to make an announcement on this subject.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether consideration will be taken of the views of the textile and railway workers' unions in favour of drawing the terms of reference of the Whitley Commission on labour conditions in India so as to include conditions in the Indian States within the scope of the Commission's inquiry?

My Noble Friend has not received from the unions mentioned any statement of the views ascribed to them. There is no question of the scope of the Commission's inquiry extending beyond British India.

If any such requests are made or such opinions are made known to the Secretary of State, will they be considered with a view to the Commission going into these matters?

Naturally, views received from any such body would be considered by my Noble Friend, but the regulation of labour conditions in the States belongs to a branch of their internal administration and is not controlled by the paramount Power, Therefore, it would be very difficult for the terms of reference to apply to these cases.

Mr. SATLATVALA:

Does the Noble Lord realise that, if uniform labour conditions are not guaranteed, in British India as well as under the Princes, there will be a tendency for employers to start factories in the native State areas, in order to take advantage of the better opportunities for exploitation?

The hon. Member is raising a question of great constitutional importance, and I do not think he can have heard the answer which I have just given to the first supplementary question—that the regulation of labour conditions in the States belongs to a branch of their internal administration and is not controlled by the paramount Power. Although the paramount Power has from time to time used its good offices with the States with a view to securing conformity to the standards obtaining in British India, that is quite a different thing from appointing a Commission to inquire into labour conditions in the States.

Are the States not represented on the League of Nations by a ruling Prince; and would not any action by the League of Nations, in raising labour standards, automatically include these native States?

The question of representation on the League of Nations is not relevant to the matter at all. There is a constitutional point at issue on which I hesitate to give an opinion without consideration. The constitutional point at issue is whether it would be proper for the Government of British India to inquire into the labour conditions in the native States, and I feel certain my Noble Friend would not be prepared to do anything of the sort without the most careful consideration. I can hold out no hope that such an inquiry will be possible.

Is the noble Lord not of the opinion that the purpose of the paramount Power in this matter will be defeated unless some sort of friendly arrangement can be come to with the rulers of the native States on this matter?

That is a rather hypothetical question.