INDIA’S CONSTITUTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 July 1932, Page 11

INDIA’S CONSTITUTION

STATES INQUIRY COMIiITTEE. OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, July 27. With the issue to-night of the report of the Indian States Enquiry Committee, the work of all three conirhittees appointed after the round fable conference has been completed. The next important stage in the Indian situation will be the announcement promised during the present s'ummer, of the Government’s decision on the commufial question. , : ’ The States inquiry committee reached unanimous conclusions after 10,000 riailes tour among the Indian States, durihg. which personal discussions Were held with -88 rulers, or their Ministers, as well as with deputations representing whole classes in the smaller States. The purpose of the Committee was to explore the specific financial problems of each State bearing in mind the principle that the ideal system would be an arrangement by which the Federal units would contribute on a uniform basis to Federal resources. The work involved the examination of the existing rights of each State under itff particular treaty with the Crown, and examination in detail of the contributions and. certain States make, and the value represented by territories,, which some States have ceded to the Crown'in re turn for guarantees of a military nature. The Committee prepared a balance sheet for each Indian State, debiting the amounts in respect to certain immunities enjoyed and crediting it with its contribution to the Crown which eventually passes into revenues of the Government of India. The object of the committee has been to suggest terms which could be fairly and reasonably accepted by both the States and British India, as a basis of mutual voluntary association. So far as the States are concerned, such association must be achieved with each individually, as only in a very general sense is it possible to speak of the common interests of the States, as contrasted with the interests of British India. The recommendations of the committee are thus intended to provide material for a settlement with each Stiite on its entry into the Federation, on the basis of the balance sheet, taking into account individual credit and debits. The committee, however, points out that by the very fact of entry into the Federation, the States woiild be making a contribution “which is not to be weighed in the golden scales.”