LORDS ON INDIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 October 1921, Page 5

LORDS ON INDIA

EX-VICEROYS’ COMMENTS, COLOUR ISSUE DOMINANT. .) (Amsvalian and N.Z. Cable Association.; LONDON, October 25. s In the House of Lords, on the eve of the Prince of AVales’s departure for India, Lord Sydenham initiated 0 a debate on India. It was marked by e much plani speaking regarding tho , present condition of India. n Lord Sydenham said : “Since the 0 present Secretary of the State for India took office, there has been a disastrous series o'f mistakes and dissentions, which have weakened British l ' authority in India. To-day the masses 1 of India widely believe that the British ' rule is coming to an end. j Lord Curzon repeatedly denied th 0 . truth of Lord Sydenham’s allegations. 3 He asserted that the AHceroy of India and his Council knew the situation in ’ India better than the noble lord. “This debate,” he said, “should never * have been initiated. Lord Sydenham’s • are highly coloured sentences, and > they will be distorted, or exaggerated, and will produce a result very differl ent from what he intended.” L >rd Curzon added that the question of whether the Prince of 3Vales shculd go to India at all had been seriously ■ considered and his Council -tad prepared a guarantee that every precaution would be taken. The ITmce had been a herald of good understanding, and goodwill, and a harbinger el peace. It was almost a crime to cast doubts to whether he would be a success in India.. Lord Chelmsford said that the dominant factor in India was the colour issue. There was a revolt there against the ascendancy of the white i ien in India. Formerly the British had governed on the idea of a .superiority of the British race. That idea of superiority was now' challenged, and the British could not evade this challenge. Lord Lytton replied for ’he Government. He protested against India being represented as being in a state of agitation from one end to the other. The new constitution was w(iking as well as could be expected. MORE DISTURBANCES. Recd Noon. DELHI, October 26. The leader of the Alannarghat rebels recently re-appeared on the scene. Three simultaneous raids were made on the two villages, and thirty Hindus were captured. A street not occurred at Calcutta following on the arrest of the Khalifat preachers. A sub-inspector, two constables, and some passers by were wounded.

PRINCE S SEND-OFF.

Recd. 3 p.m. LONDON, October 26. . The Prince of Wales had a great sendoff at Victoria Station on his departure for the Indian tour. The King, the Queen, and many members of the Royal Family, and member’s of the Pa'binet were present-, and large -■■’■owds gave hhe Prince an enthusiastic farewell.