THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 32, 7 February 1935, Page 11

THE NEW CONSTITUTION

GOVERNMENT'S BILIj

BROADCAST ON PROPOSALS

PUBLIC INTEREST ROUSED

(British Official Wireless.) (Received February 7, noon.)

RUGBY, February 6. A vitally important debate on the Government's India Bill will open today when the Secretary for India (Sir Samuel Hoare) will move the second reading of the measure in the House of Commons. Public interest in the subject has been further increased during re.cent weeks by the [series of broadcast talks on the Indian proposals by leading protagonists of differing viewpoints.. The series was .concluded last night by Mr. Baldwin. He emphasised that the reforms proposed were the direct, and natural issue of the settled policy and long-' matured judgment of successive British Governments on the merits of the case. It was utter misrepresentation of them to say that they were dictated by a weak desire to com[promise with agitation. They proI posed to make more precise the measure of autonomy, which was already firmly established by convention. As in the case- of the Dominions they [were proceeding.by carefully regulated transfers of power. Owing to the peculiar conditions of the country India might well take longer than the Dominions to reach the final goal. The British raj was not cravenly withdrawing from India. It would remain there, with such modifications of form as circumstances might require, until its work was complete and its presence no longer