GOVERNMENT'S POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1931, Page 9

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY

DISCUSSION BY PEERS

LORD IRWIN SPEAKS

(British Official Wireless. I

RUGBY, Bth December

A debate took place to-night in the House of Lords on a motion approving the Government's India policy as set out in the recent White Paper giving tho statement made by the Prime Minister at the close of tho Kound Table Conference.

'• The Under-Secrctary for India (Lord I ;- Lolliian) expressed bis belief tliat. the • work done by the two Bound Table Con- j ferenccs represented a stage in the cvo- ' lution of the relations between India ■ and Britain, the importance of which it was impossible to exaggerate. The foundations of a new Constitution for India must rest, on three prins I ciples, which had emerged from the j 1 discussions of the Jast four years—j namely, federation, responsibility, and j ' I safeguards. i "| Lord Lothian intimated that the 3! Government could not accept au amend-; 3 • ment qualifying the terms of the White j i Paper which was subsequently moved j " !-by Lord Lloyd and opposed by the Lord j Chancellor, Lord Sankey, on the j r grounds that it would excite suspicion j r'.in India. Great as had been British | J achievements in India for the welfare! J' of the people, much remained to be done. * Lord Sankey, referring to the abstractions current in the recent discus- ! sion, such as Dominion status, said that , ho preferred the simple statement that India desired a greater share in the management of her own affair and the 5 problem was how this could be aceoin- . plished. VIEWS OF EX-VICEKOY. | ' lie believed they were on the eve of a peaceful solution of the Indian problem. Lord Snell, speaking for the Opposition, appealod to the Indian people to trust Britain. Lord Burnham expressed fears regarding future procedure proposed by the Government. He was followed by Lord Irwin, the former Viceroy of India, who, in his maiden speech, said that he had no doubt a great advance had been made when Britain decided to give India an equal opportunity with itself to be the architect of the future Constitution. It was foolish to under-estimate the common ground that had been achieved between the various groups of delegates at the Hound Table Conference. Lord Lloyd had referred to Constitutions in Eastern countries, but were they not to learn anything from the stirrings in Turkey, Irak, Persia, China, and Japan, which had manifested themselves in difforent ways? Ho believed it was a profound delusion to treat events in India as the work of a minority, which, ' (irmly and effectively handled, would fade away and give no more trouble. He expressed tho opinion that if the system of political democracy did not suit India, once she was allowed freedom- to choose, she would evolve tho necessary variations. 'He welcomed tho fact that the ,Prime t Minister's statement had raised British policy above tho fear of infraction by Apolitical accidents.

! Tho debate stands adjourned until \t o-inorrow.