INDIA’S ADVANCE

Evening Star, Issue 19522, 1 April 1927, Page 7

INDIA’S ADVANCE

AH ENCOIRABINS OUTLOOK INS BIRKENHEAD'S REVIEW (British Official News.) Press Association —By Wireless—Copyright. RUGBY, March 31. (Received April 1, at 11 a.m.) Lord Birkenhead (Secretary of State for India), in the Hpnsg of Lords last night, gave a generally optimistic review of the situation in India. Referring to the demand for expediting a statutory inquiry into the working of the new Constitution—which was due in 1929, at the end of a ten years’ probationary period—he said that if the favorable auguries of the past few months were borne out, and it became apparent that the Constitution was accepted as a means of collaboration ip securing better government for India, he did not apprehend that either Go vernment or Parliament would insist on the full period of probation. Regarding the position of Indians nr South Africa, Lord Birkenhead said that the settlement reached between the South African and Indian Governments did credit to both, and marked the beginning of intimate and cordial co-operation in India, which, in his view, could not fail to benefit from the stabilisation of the rupee. For the fourth year in succession there wan a substantial surplus, with another in prospect, which was evidence of sound finance.

Lord Reading (late Viceroy) referred to the immense improvement in India’s position. At this moment, he declared, everything seemed to point to the successful development of constitutional government, which, bearing in mind the position from which it started, showed a remarkable advance.