INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 December 1934, Page 7

INDIAN CONSTITUTION

GOVERNMENT BILL READY. [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, December 19. With the acceptance by the Lords of the Government's policy on the new constitution of India, the way is now clear for the introduction of the Government’s Indian Bill, which will be given a formal first reading this week. One peculiarity of the votes was that in the Commons the Labour Party was included in the minority of 127, whereas in the Lords, the Labour Peers abstained from voting. Regarding the Labour Party’s attitude “the Times” remarks that there is no reason to suppose they will obstruct the reforms, and it recalls the speeches by Labour members including Major Attlee, who signed the Simon report, and Mr Cook’s who last week made an eloquent appeal to India to work the scheme. The Liberals, it is pointed out were united in supporting the Government and of the Conservatives in the Commons 334 voted for the policy of the report and 77 against the latter being the figure sufficient to encourage them in their opposition to the Government Bill. The conclusion of “the Times” is that: “Two exhaustive debates following seven years’ hard investigation invested the Government policy at last with an unimpeachable mandate from the Imperial Parliament. LATER. Sir S. Hoare formally introduced in the Commons a Bill to make further provision for the Government of India and the Bill was read a first time.