THE STATUS OF THE INDIAN.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 125, 27 May 1919, Page 4

THE STATUS OF THE INDIAN.

*- About eighteen months ago Mr '• Montague*, Secretary of State for 3 J India, made a comprehensive tour of the c! huge territories of which he is official * I head in Britain. As a result of his 1 , investigations he evolved a scheme for 3 ] giving a greater measure of local govern- * ment to the Indian. Ilia proposals have ' met with almost universal criticiem by 8 ; the British resident commercial community and by influential political leaders. Many of the provisions he 1 would incorporate in law are bitterly opposed as premature and subversive sof the best interests of all 1 sections of the community. There 3 are indications, however, that a r modified form of the Montague plan, ' making a start with local government ' j and later extending the system to a 0 National body, will bo passed by the Ims I perial Parliament when it has time to consider policy measures. But even Mr Montague does not suggest that the 1 native of India has attained a standard s ' of education qualifying him for the conn trol of his own destinies by an unrei stricted Parliamentary franchise. Yet !we find him appealing in the House of c Commons to the Dominion Prime Minisi' ters for equality of treatment for the P black races of India throughout the Empire. We trust that both Mr Hughes and Mr Massey will make it their busil ness to put the case clearly before Mr , J Montague as far as the attitude of this t ! remote portion of the Dominions is con- i cerned. New Zealand at present places 3 1 no restriction on the Indian immigrant other than a very inadequate language teat, and once he succeeds in passing that our laws in no way differentiate be- ' tween him and any other citizen. This. , favoured treatment will have to be re-, , Rtricted, not liberalised, and it is just as . a ! well that Mr Montague and his successors in office should be quite clear on i the point. Such ill-conceived speeches f as that just delivered by him to the k House of Commons only serve the purpose of causing irritation and help to ! complicate an already difficult situation, f Were New Zealand and Australia as un--1 attractive as the United Kingdom to the Oriental in search of a profitable market ' for his labour there would be no pro- " blem for us to worry about. But the j i tide of Tndian immigration has already , set in this direction, and the evidence of. the position to-day in South Africa is : such that no intelligent Government in this favoured land will fail to grapple ; with the difficulty before it attains seriI ous proportions. Labour must be protected against the unfair competition of ' Orientals, and we must not let the ; mouthing of the shibboleth of equality . within the Empire by party politicians of . the Montague type blind us to the real i " gravity of the position. I ' ' '