The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 1921. THE INDIAN PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 187, 8 August 1921, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 1921. THE INDIAN PROBLEM.

. For the cause that lacks assistance, For the icroitg that needs reeietance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we csin do.

Before the Imperial Conference met, one of the Indian delegates spoke bitterly of the disabilities placed on his countrymen, and appeaml to make it a condition of Indian participation in the Conference proceedings that they should be planed on the same footing as the people of the Dominions. In view of the fact ' that tho Dominion statesmen could not possibly abandon the policy of keeping ' their communities racially pure and protecting them from unrestricted competition by coloured labour, with its lower standards of living, it looked as if there might be serious trouble at the Conference. What was actually said behind the closed doors of the Conference is not , stated, but since the Conference decided, apparently unanimously, to adhere to thp resolution of 101S recognising the Dominions' right of exclusion, Mr. Sastri realised the hopelessness of lighting for tho right of free entry. But the Conference also decided that there was incongruity between the position of. India a.s an equal member of the Empire "and the existence of disabilities upon British Indians domiciled in other parts of tfie Empire," and accordingly expressed the opinion that it was desirable that the rights of Indians to citizenship should .be recognised. We do not know that this will make any difference to the position of Indians in New Zealand. The New Zealand (Jovernment has full power under the new Act to pro hibit entirely the immigration of Indians, and while objections may be raised U>~ the arbitrary form that this power takes, public opinion is solidly behind the Government in approving , of the policy of restriction, if not prohibition. Indians domiciled in tho country, however, already have citizens' rights. They can vote in elections, and we are not aware of any restrictiops on their rights to trade and hold property. Apparently they ba-vc similar rights in Australia. South Africa, however, could not accept this resolution of the Conference about citizenship, and it is worth while setting out briefly what tho position is in that Dominion. The introduction of British Indians into South Africa dates from the engagement of indentured labourers for the sugar and tea plantations of Natal fifty years ago. "For this fatal decision to seek recruits overseas for the already overwhelming coloured population of the country," says a writer in the "Round Table," "the Government of India must share the responsibility with that of Natal. ■ It was their deliberate policy, persisted in until so recently as 1911, to encourage emigration to South Africa. The policy of the two Governments has left a legacy of almost insoluble political and social problems; it cannot even , claim to have been an economic success." Indians spread over South Africa, and at the time the article quoted was written last year, while there were fewer j than 4000 Indians under indentures, there were about 160,000 in the Union. Thousands of these people were born in South Africa and have never beou to India. To-day this population is under serious disabilities in respect to trade, residence, and occupation, and the Indians claim full rights of South African citizens in these respects. The main reason for these restrictions is that the white trader cannot compete against the Indian. "The overhead charges of an Indian business are on the average one-third of those of a European. The Indian lives vastly more cheaper, he pays his assistants much less, his whole standard of living is lower." In one town the number of English grocers has fallen ]to four, and that of Indian increased to twenty-seven. Europeans therefore urge that restrictions on the development of Indian trading are an economic necesI sity, and Parliament last year passed lan Act making it impossible to evade j the law prohibiting the Indian from owning fixed property in the Transvaal, which he had been doing systematically. This Act has given rise to agitation in India, and the Secretary of State for India has I expressed his sympathy with this movement, declaring that he sees "legitimate grounds for the gravest disappointment lat what has occurred." But as the writer in the "Round Table" says, the white race in South Africa is lighting for the maintenance of a superior standard of living against the inroads of a coloured population. All this explains I why the South African delegation at the I Imperial Conference could not accept the , citizenship resolution. South African ideals in respect to white standards are the same as those that inspire the White Australia and White New Zealand policies, but unfortunately South Africa made the fatal mistake of admitting coloured labour first and constructing an ideal afterwards. We in Australasia have been wiser, and we shall most disastrously fail in our duty if we do not maintain the ideal we have set up.

"A BUSINESS BASIS." The reply that the Hon. C. J. Parr gave this morning to a deputation that complained of the "cut" in the Auck-land-Helensville railway service, had the merit—rare and refreshing in a Minister —of being direct and uncompromising. Mr. Parr declined point-blank to help the complainants. They might, he said, have to submit to a good many more inconveniences yet "before the railways were put on a. proper business basis, as they should he." We thank Mr. Parr for these words. "A proper business basis"—that is the foundation 'of reform. If "a proper business basis" had been introduced into the construction of public works, and the administration of the railway department, years ago, our Taalway system to-day would not be unfinancial, but would be returning at least sufficient to meet its interest bills, and provide for depreciation. The "cut" in the railway services is no doubt necessary, but the ffovernment must realise that it v only a temporary expedient. By it are saved I the cost of a certain amount of coal, some overtime, and a certain amount of wear and tear. Wages will presumably go on as before. Earnings will fall away. The capital sunk in the railways on which interest has to be paid as part of the national debt, will not be reduced by one penny. All that will happen to it will be that a certain amount of rolling stock, which is one of its forms, will remain idle. It is the object of every business to employ its capital as fully as possible and bring it as quickly as it can to the point of maximum return. The Railway Department is not doing that. It is trying to balance its accounts by doing less business. We would direct the attention of our readers to an article ,we publish to-day, in which a business man with knowledge of the subject criticises the methods of the Railway Department. We do not endorse everything ho says. He seems not to realise fully that something had to be done quickly to check the deficit, and that the only remedy that could be applied quii-kly "was a curtailment of service?. Also, if traffic is poor, the same amount may be handled by a smaller number of trains, and money saved. But in his insistence on the need for encouraging traffic and improvement in the methods of the department, our contributor is on sound ground. Stereotyped methods arc the bane of the Railway Department. He mentions the rOad traffic between Onehunga and Auckland. He might also have mentioned that motor transport is cutting into the railway's business on runs as far as Pukekohe. There are conveniences about motor transport that no amount of good management on the part of the railways will overcome, but we should like to know whether it is anybody's business in the Department to watch this road competition and devise methods of meeting it. The "cut" will have to be borne philosophically by people affected, but they will uot be content if the Government does nothing else. The whole of railway policy and management has long needed an overhaul, and the present financial conditions make this process imperative. Mr. Parr's "proper business basis" implies business methods in every branch of management.