EASIER TO ENTER THAN TO LEAVE INDIA—A WARNING

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1947, Page 5

EASIER TO ENTER THAN TO LEAVE INDIA—A WARNING

P.A. WELLINGTON, May 18. Difficulties of overseas transport have been further forcibly brought to mind by a cable received by the Government from the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, London. The cable stresses the extreme shortage of passages from India to the United Kingdom and other destinations. It outlines measures taken by the British Government, at the requets of the .Viceroy of India for control over the available passages, and the necessity o,f preventing any avoidable increase in the number of potential passengers from India while the shipping shortage continues, by the restriction of fresh arrivals to the country. The Minister of Internal Affairs, who is in charge of passports and exit permits, referred today to this further indication of overseas transport difficulties. He thought it well to repeat a warning contained in the cable that the control over passages from India which the British Government, at the request of the Viceroy, had found it necessary to impose over passages from India, would make it highly improbable that future arrivals in India would be able to register themselves in time to procure return passages during the next fourteen months. Therefore, persons who intended travelling to India during the next twelve months with the intention of leaving again within the year were strongly advised to postpone their trip until such time as the passage situation improved, unless there were essential business in India, and were prepared to wait a considerable time before they could again obtain passages from India.