INDIA’S DESTINY

Hawera Star, Volume L, 31 July 1930, Page 5

INDIA’S DESTINY

FORTHCOMING CONFERENCE

PARTIES’ REPRESENTATION

INVITATION TO OPPOSITION

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 29. The Government proposes t;» invite the other two Parliamentary parties to appoint rperesentatives at the forthcoming India, conference. This announcement was made in both Houses this afternoon. The Prime Minister (Mr. .Ramsay AlacDonakl) in the House of Commons recalled that a round-table conference was first suggested in a letter addressed to him last October by the chairman fo the' Indian Statutory Commission (Sir John Simon). I lie letter said that in such a conference the British’ Government would meet representatives of British India and the Indian States. The Government had been considering how, without changing the character of the conference as indicated in that letter, it could be used to give an opportunity to representatives of India and Parliament of exchanging views on the problems with which they were dealing and for understanding each other. • ' " The Government was impressed by the advantages which would • result from the presence in the oolite re nee ot representatives of the other .Parliamentary parties, and thus, Air. MacDonald believed, difficulties and differences would be removed and the legislation to be undertaken hereafter would be facilitated. For this reason the Government proposed to invite the leaders of the other two parties to nominate represnetatives from both Houses, but lie must make it clear that the Government could not throw off its constitutional responsibility and must claim complete freedom regarding proposals it would subsequently lay before Parliament as an outcome of the conference, which was to advance the purpose announced by the Viceroy after consultation with the British Government. Sir Austen Chamberlain asked if it, was proposed to exclude from the Indian representation anyone who had signed any report or had taken part in' a civil disturbance. Was there, he asked, to be one rule for Indian and another rule for British representatives. The Prime Minister replied that so far as the Indian central committee was concerned he understood that body would not be represented, but he was in communication with the Viceroy and he could not say more at present. The Prime Minister added: ‘‘l have been perfectly candid; we have considered it and we are now engaged in negotiations about it, but at present I think the House Would be well advised not to adopt the course suggested.”

WIDE REPRESENTATION DESIRED

The Alinister replied in the affirmative to Mr. Turtle, a Labourite who asked if the (Government had considered the ettect upon Indian Nationalist opinion of admitting the opposition parties to the round-table conference. Air MacDonald added that it was perfectly obvious that it was for the good of India as well as of Britain that discussions at the conference should be very full and representative and that the Government should have the opportunity of listening to a most thorough discussion of all the problems that arose and which would have to he dealt with by legislation. He was very little intedested in proportional representation of the conference. What was needed was representation that would he efficient in bringing; ideas to the conference- and in examining the questions before it. The Prime Alinister, replying to Air. Stanley Baldwin, said he was exchanging views regarding the number of representatives from the two other parties to be invited to the eonfeience, hut he thought three or four from each’would he, a convenient number and ho would like their names to ho announced, if possible, before Parliament rose at the end of the week Asked by Air. Lloyd George whether such nominees would have equal states with other delegates, and whether he had reached any conclusion regarding the representation ot the Statutory Committee, .seeing that it was no ordinary commission appointed by the Government, hut had been appointed under the authority ot Parliament', the Prime Alinister replied that the nominees of the opposition parties would he full delegates. The question of the representation of the Statutory t ommission had received from the 'Government a great deal of anxious consideration The Government was inclined to say it- would he a. great mistake to have members of the commission as representatives’ delegates at the conferenoe. Sir Austen Chamberlain said it would he clearly undesirable that any memi her of the commission should be included in either of the party delega- | tions, but was it not also clear that I the conference ought to have the 1 assistance of the commission:-' Could ! not the Government, with the consent I of all the parties, ask the chairman or the commission to act;The Prime Minister replied that lie held the view at the moment that it would he a grievous mistake to do this, as there was a strong reason why it was undesirable.