Personal Items

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26560, 24 October 1951, Page 6

Personal Items

Mr V. A. G. Lambert, Director-Gen-eral of Armaments Production for the United Kingdom Ministry of Supply, arrived at Auckland by air yesterday. He was accompanied by Mr I. Bowen and Mr L. S. Williams, of the United Kingdom Ministry of Supply Office in Mr J. Neil Young, who will undertake a year's study in New Zealand under a Rotary Foundation fellowship, arrived at Auckland from Vancouver by the Aorangi yesterday. Mr Young will study rural sociology, including farming organisations, while attached to Massey Agricultural College, Palmerston North.—fP.A.) Mr Haskell Anderson, of Wellington, arrived at i with Mrs Anderson by the Aorangi yesterday. Mr Anderson has completed a seven months’ business trip abroad, during which he attended the conference of toe Associated Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire in England.— (P.A.) The appointment of Mr John Lister M Acting-District Superintendent of toe St. John Ambulance Brigade was announced by the Assistant Commissioner (Dr. W. Gordonßich) at a meeting ofthe brigade at Timaru. He will HKMed Mr W.D. Rogers, who has reMr D. C. Wilson, president of the Canterbury-Westland branch tof the Real Lstate Institute of New Zealand, has left to attend the annual conference c the institute at Hamilton. *!'"g fl" 11 _ statement that his new party stands “for the reunion of India and “Pakistan by peaceful means” is not clear. Mr Nehru’s unique position will almost certainly secure the return of the Congress Government at the election, which will begin in the hill provinces next month and extend into February. What will happen after that is more important than immediate party troubles. The Congress Party, as has so often been pointed out, was based on only one policy—independence. Capitalists and Socialists, high caste Hindus and untouchables, artisans and peasants, even Sikhs and some Moslems, supported that policy, however they might differ otherwise. Mr Nehru has kept them together for five years, not by political skill, to which he makes no claim, but by his personal popularity among the people. Once the election is over and the party is assured of five years of office, it is by no means certain that he will be able to recontrol, and it is probable that in any event the party will split more seriously than it has done so far. Even if the Congress Party can be held substantially together, other political forces are likely to emerge. For example, Dr. Ambedkar, leader of the depressed classes (who number some 50,000,000), recently resigned his position as Minister of Law because the Indian Parliament postponed indefinitely his bill modernising the Hindu customary code. In a statement explaining this decision Dr. Ambedkar also struck at the Government for its handling of the Kashmir dispute, which, .he said, was costing India about £20,000,000 a year that could be spent on social reform. The Indian princes are another possibly powerful influence, although they have lost their former powers. Some of them are now serving the Indian Government, but others recently made some attempt to use their popularity among their former subjects for political purposes; Although this was checked when the Government took the strong measure of depriving the Gaekwar of Baroda Of ms titles and few remaining privileges (he still has his great personal fortune), the last has not necessarily been heard of this movement. Orthodox Hindus and some of the princes may make common cause. If they are unlikely to achieve much before the election, an opportunity may come later. And in the political tangle there will be plenty of loose ends for the comparatively few but energetic Communists to gather in to their advantage.