STATUS OF INDIA

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11538, 15 January 1932, Page 5

STATUS OF INDIA

CONTINUANCE OF LONDON CONFERENCE OVERSEAS.

PERSONNEL OF THREE

COMMITTEES

(British Official Wireless) RUGBY, Jan. 13

The personnel of the three committees shortly to commence work in India in continuation of the discussions at the Round-Table Conference is announced.

The Marquis of Lothian .is chairman of the Franchise Committee, which comprises seven other English members and seven representative Indians, most of whom are members of the recent Round-Table Conference. The Federal Finance Committee of six members is under the chairmanship of Lord Eustace Percy, and the chairman of the States Inquiry Committee of seven members is Mr. J. C. C. Davidson, M.P. It is explained that the States Inquiry Committee in the course of a tour of the principal centres of the Indian States will adopt the procedure of meeting the representatives of the States in conference with a view to a common discussion of the questions involved before drafting a report. The Prime Minister has nominated seven of file States delegates and 13 British delegates to the RoundTable Conference to be members of the Consultative Committee • under the chairmanship of the GovernorGeneral, as deputy for himself.

It is the Government’s intention that the conference should succeed through this working committee, with which, through the Indian Government, His Majesty’s Government would keep in effective touch. It is the intention of the Government that this working committee of the conference be broilglit into effective consultation on the recommendations of the three committees above before conclusions arc adopted by the Government. Besides this, it will participate in much constructive work, which can be undertaken independently.

The terms of reference for the three committees, which will ■sail from Marseilles on Friday, is set out in letters to the chairmen from the Prime Minister, who states :“To your committee the Government will look for the • ocmplete detailed proposals on which to base the revision of the franchise, and arrange the constituencies for the new legislatures, central and provincial, which are to form part of the constitution, and the. Government hopes the committee will be in a position to so frame its proposals as to present a complete detailed scheme for the forming of each of the provincial legislatures and of the federal legislature, the principal responsible federal Government, subject to certain - safeguards accepted by the Government.

TROUBLE ON KASHMIR BORDER

(U.P.A. by Elec. Tel. Copyright.) (Received Jan. 14, 11 p.m.) CALCUTTA, Jan. 14

There have been grave disturbances in Jhelum, on the Kashmir State border, following the seizure of peasants’ cattle by the State authorities in consequence of the nonpayment of land revenue. Crowds of villagers armed with knives and sticks surrounded Jhelum, cut the telegraph wires, attempted to destroy the bridge over the Jhelum river and attacked Kashmir troops guarding the bridge, who fired, killing or wounding an unknown nunimef. Further outbreaks are threatened. A curfew order has been declared. Military and police reinforcements have been sent from Jammu.