FUTURE OF INDIA

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19770, 7 November 1929, Page 11

FUTURE OF INDIA

HOUSE OF LORDS' DEBATE. go|o> COMMISSION NOT AFFECTED. x UOD PAR MOOR'S ASSI'RANCE. \ .« " n rrt "»t *t*«UBM > ! ;; -:-'. v, Nove-.be- 5. »i. i " ".:•> git.ier.nj «f Iv-r-t . , 1# ;[ - '-■ "d« this if!>rno..n forts- i- l " : -' * J K"i-!.-i5 - i motion -raia,? ' •"» d»e »nt.o» of the Tie*-/ pi!:: 'i ' " "» * * r« , 3'''- f '.-l in the p..,, -n - "* " '••» ' '"' re stroagSy tn w « i~r . - '• i" £ 1 •r.<i:-, at I jjj.,,: -: .- ■ - 1 -. .■•■"■l'm will be rvaed •"■ ' ' * ~« :n ''n« or. Tiarsda. ,tr ' l ' rt r-sarr, bat „,,.,! t ■.-" for the a Ijourn - \: ■ 1; . ,- l:i- " ijv, that y. gi ;■* "■< -" 1 "' r.-.er.t, will ex-jo-a sir- ?c n Mr as n.ay he. - ■' '■* Si" speech ~ ; - - ■-. •» ir.,-1,;. ;,r. ThiS «ua"Be, .: ■' «"»t"l, "ill '■•' i". full aeloriia'- T "■» f ' wisae, "'- f hc major- ,.- ,; - i f ' \ --». '.vim d-s;r.- as far -,,,., > -1 r -»v» the V.eeruf and lir." "».t -. > " -''on of unnecessary aJw" - 3j»p>:-*i '■ "5 I" .I.* continue to rein; ;.- ; !. -■! Irwn'j atateaicnt is ttmrinf wi i»epread support, and the Br«F«'" ? * » n'>-:■"--►' V'twpfn repWs»n'i, "--< <-' »*■- Bf.tS'h Indian |UU« i" '■ '*"-' R" "'" Government after da B'si-n r«>-wrt has been presented, |m 'j\*i"'l *•• pir't-'' >-;vt>ral of the -dead: ■»<_!.'"'* 10 P , ' ln '"' ,, ''■"'' already t*fc.'«'y approved of ,k e proposal for a «NttiV*»' , » an! the aan" ■ icemen i of this |mtje<*-, together with the r- statement ef t*i-" : "mate purrw>»«'-< ef "n ■ British policy. .< reported to hi-•■ hi' the eftret r TT.o«i:fyinin the »;ntu'l«- "f th« tI3'X.-l*». !>■-: r»TT»nr, rpplyiag for fhf ft it. triß! -'. »» : ! t'ltt he fonld fin! ro rmii^i' - 11 the pronooa'etnpot. Th»? Vit«f,t .m •' .*. :n of*i»r tL"«t Itiii»n r>pniton 71 •«■ p i*i»-!, ars-j that Indiani who w■■!"- Joabtful b*"for« would now la-"s ' -.- »■"■* •ran-''* t* fgardcil thoir Bo ;*.:■ 1 i li'l roart.tatinnal ftiture. Notb.3jr, ■ '- 1 !■'■ ••I'-arer i* the pronotinc€m«nt ' ">' Vwroy than ttuat the reaerw.iorn ia the declaration of i!>l» w«r* rftoinixi witae«t aitarati«a and without wxsrpiwiL Thq-agfc Dotainina rtataa waa th* V.-eror draw a d»tia«tt*a betweaa th-i purixina aad meaaa waereay taat gwil :r-tfr»t hm raatrbad, tba pmrpota raml»la«,, t i:aaltpr«»d an-1 unchanged. The Ha-i*; 'a ""? with to the time :n w~:-h Dumininn ttata* aaight b,. a --i ---2 <*o>:!<i aot b# ««a«i>lered mi •■^' , * no: :.-> hj.» eoasid«re>l aatil th-- >-i'ivr7 I'limmiwioi aad ladlan Ceal-i' ''•-'TI!TH' , had lobnaiUad tliair wnar*4 n" Oorpranier.':, is tonsulta:iem w:*- th«« Government of ladia, hui sum. i-T'd those m.ittera ia the lifit «( lh« mi'i'Mi av*i!abit», and. farther■am, ■zr.'.i] ».".*t the of the «iafer»oe» it waa in tea dad to nnawi. Lard ParTJ'->or con't-nd'd that the protaaMettttna." m an way aadermia«4 the ■ntlamtj »t th* Sia»oa Coaaouaaioa. The Ge-wrameat wer* w»>il adviaed ia leaftaf ta* O«w»au»aioa akMe. ia atakiaf a •tatamest of policy of this kind it woaJd la wth-q? if it should b« thought in lata that there waa no spaeiai ronm«xiaa> totwaea the o<rv«n*fl*eat for the ttaja being and the Simoa CommiMtoti. Baaliag with the reaaoaa far making file ftnaaumeiment withoat having coaMIM the Statatory Col mission, Lord Fifneaa aaid that it waa considered ay tha 00-rafament, with foil 'ootorMaw tf the Vieeroy, that la view of taa tefaadiag op>»n ir.vitatioa to re-fraMslati-vaa of British ladi* aad. the laajiaa Stataa to attend a conference, I* waa wry desirable to restate clearly aaat waa tha porpoaa of Groat Britain fc ragard to the (iovernment of India. It wat aarertaiaed that tha Cotamia* «oa vara iTerj* froai being associated ia •orraaptHtdeace in which thia mail•abca aftaaJd appear aad th« Go rem naa* decided that it should be mad? in a ioesneat. The Government were •atjtt that the Statatory Commission *d aat wish to be so aaaoeiatod, bat »ay Hi a«t think that that pr«lad«d laai ftroai m»kiag a realfi.r«iatiOß. They lal tha deepest anxi«ty to do nothing wfcath would ia any way prejudice the farftioa of tha Statutory Commiaaion. yatisat TUstvf tfafct Wi Heading, former Viceroy of In- *■» i» tha House of Lords, railed at'■■tiaa to the reccat statement isaued ay tha Vieeioy of India regardiag tha •Wlataaiaat by India of Dominion states, •** asked the Government irst to state •"•tasawa for the extraordinary course •f sjakiag this proaoaneemeat without ■**•§ eoajulted t.ha Statatory Coa»tosisai «poa it and before tha Com■ajatam had reported, aad saeoadly, **a«W Us eaaditioaa eoatalaaa la the ***•*•«• of 1917 aad the Goraraaient •Midia Act, remaia ia fall foree aad aad ara applieabia to Dominioa **•», aad tawd. whethar this stats- ■*•« impute aay change ia tha polity "*amit» dsvlared, or in the time when .■J statos may be attained. aard Beadiag said that tha shaag* j*»rae«4*ra by which * eoafereiu-e of -.fJMeaat Mpreafßting all parties in ■aaiwsaJd be held before and not after *• Sarernmeat had formatated its prt>" !••»■ wms vary important. Ha welcomed * aad hop«d that it woold help to ***mfy Indian opinion. Other parties •yswd it, bat whea the §*<retary ■•ladia made a farth*T proposal that **ssaa«a shoald be mad* to the fa tare *f ladi* in the or somethtag •rpfaaahing th* language ased ia '*>'* •tssiay*, rtat»meat, he at oace took <«L«t me make It plaia that I nor aiy party objeet to Do•*Haa statu*. " h*» said.' "It is regard- **•»«» ideal wh;eh we eventually hop* *• ••aat ia reLitioa to the Gaverameat « ladia. • »arm Objactad a*. •• afcjected to the as« of tht term, ?••** ,l» H'*d asvaf app<Ntr#d btfor*•say document and beeaas* wawld "V■■paaaibiw to make a statemeat of "■sshara-'-- *,> M at the asa*«Bt 'f ■*• Siam<: ■ •iTmssior st"verthele#* * •as prjp<-ie>- by tr.e liavrritmi'o' '•"■ a ium-.i.; shoald be made **se ajfir* »jj pr'-stig". tafiaence. an ! ■••arit/ -* --• fiimoa Commissi"" * ktayeif, wsea Viceroy, had *>**' " ***f«l a-T»r *-i ise the words " "■» statu.) ■• T v - tery phrase eoojsrv : •> St aa.-« % po«'.!ion to si-me evVn". Bjaat in of what might b* JSSHh*d (> ro<r'inv v '» grvernraent a pi.-n.. A3 , \,3.< '- *■> hj«; mniin ia iad:a aad by rnaay pt«p'--**ia fu,'-, 11 r i.'oyd George to.-k "•rtry »h« ,» m * attitude as himself. **• Cons.-.-- 11 • t* party ref-Jsed '•' as**k to the •* i*<meat Pomm••k'itat**. ~„ o-:>ber 2rth he wm'**tae Pe !- T f or India esprr«eing **fravg -.y.... l{ t a „ pmpoeal of the ?***■*■' ""J tJi * Viceroy to male "laaaoti- —.■ Tb«* statement, on- ?"<» was woald b* heralded

at ©nee Dominion status. He wanted e the Government to make it clear, with * out any ambiguity throughout India. * that the language used by the Govern- . stent ia the pronouncement was only an interpretation of the ultimate goal to * whieh India might attain when the various obstacles were surmounted. » SOP TO REBELS. t - INDIA J*OT RIPE FOR SELFI GOVERNMENT. * TRENCHANT CRITICISM BY LORD II BIRKENHEAD. r (Received November 6th. 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, November 6. \ Lord Birkenhead, speaking in the i House of Lords ia reply to Lord Par--1 moor, contemptuously brushed aside the ' idea that It was not intended to sug- { gest aar cbaage to the people of India. - It was "plaia that that was what was e intended. It was Intended to appease » them beeaase a grave threat had been f made by those subservient to elvil gov- * srnment ia ladia. It waa because we - were menaced at the end of the year - with a campaign of civil disobedience 1 that It was thonght that some aaaoanee- - meat of this kind—misleading in scope - —would avert the threat to law and * order. B 1 He bad drawn one deep lesson from 1 ' the study of Indian history during the i past sixty years: that the way to dis- * charge oar fiduciary obligations to f India was never to yield to threats. I Proaeadiag, Lord Birkenhead a»ked e what Dominion status meant. It did - not mean aow what it rneaat five years * ago, aad- no one knew what it might mean five years hence. Yet here, with . crude ignorance, the Government flung . into the disputations on India indicai tions, offieially never made before, that „ Dominion status was the goal. No sane man could eaaay any approximate date .' whea it was possible to conee : ve India e attaining Dominion stains. What man t could see a time, even in a hundred . years, when the people of India would . b« sapabls of taking such control of the army, navy, and civil service as I was assumed by the self governing Do I minions T j The result of the pronouncement i would be that the people of India would . say that they had been cheated. The r Government had mishandled the situa- ! tioa in svery conceivable way at every conceivable stage. f AIR CLEARED. ; CONSERVATIVE OPINION. 1 > —— ' (rWeived November 6th, 8.30 p.m.) > r t LONDON, November 6. ! ■ * Ths opinion is expressed in Onnserval tiva circles Ifcat the debate in the j i I House of Lords has cleared the a;r j t by eliciting from Lord Parmoor th« . statement that the Viceroy's pronounoement did not m«»n any change* , rn policy as regards India on the pait i . of th* British Gorerniwnt. The 'Daily Telegraph" accepts this aas'irancw. but savs that the «-tTect in India of this belated frankness has , now bes*r» seen. « [ The "Morning Post" says: "'As Lord . ' [ Birkenhead pointed out, Dom.nton I status has not been defined and may ■ mean one thing one year and another ' ! thing neat year. It « n«ed by th* ! Irish Free ?iu»te aa a euphemism for , -independence.* Rnrh a nefinition, if * apf>':»d to India would mean a destrnc- ! tt-ici ot that Empire** The "Daily Chronicle" says: "The ■ Government say thit they merely re- , amrmed cJrl premises, but that * not , what India nnderstood by Lord Irwin's f« statement"