SIMON COMMISSION’S REPORT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 149, 13 June 1930, Page 7

SIMON COMMISSION’S REPORT.

(To the Editor). Sir,—The summary of the Simon Commission’s report in your columns is certainly “judiciously vague’’ and gives a lop-sided and unfavourable impression of the Indian situation. The Commission, lie it remembered, was largely boycotted and distrusted, Indians having little faith in it. Their attitude seems at present to be justified. The enormous cost of British administration is draining India’s life blood. In the civil service 8,000 European officials draw yearly salaries totalling £1'3,930,554. and 130,000 Indians, also in the civil service, receive only £3,218,188. During the year ending March, 1929, military, naval and medical officers’ pensions drawn in England and chargeable to Indian revenue amounted to over £2,000,000, and retired me,mbers of the Indian civil service received in the same period £1,617,719. In some instances a European receives ten times as much as an Indian doing the same kind of work. Furthermore, Gandhi, writing to the Viceroy, points out that tlie Viceroy’s daily income is 5000 times that of -the average daily Indian income, while the British Premier draws only 90 times the average British income. Reference to political and religious differences reminds one that the prevailing Indian electoral system conferred by Britain is based upon differences of religion, class and interest, the total electorate being into Mussulman, non-Mussiilman, European, landowner, trade, and Sikh constituencies. This statutarv separation of political interest is held to foster bitterness and to injure the general welfare of India. Anglo-Indian’s quotation in your leader is indeed pessimistic and savours of a gloomy mind infected with war phobia. Even under British rule some thousands of Indians are killed annually by wild animals and snake bites, and themselves have insufficient means of protection, the possession of arms M'ing legally prohibited. The only remedy for India’s problems according to moderate ami reasonable Indians is to grant full and immediate dominion status, i.e.. selfgovernment similar to that enjoyed by Britain’s .self-governing dominions. proken promises and postponements arc driving more and more moderates into the independence party, which aims at severance of connection with Britain. No patriotic Britisher supports this. To avert it, dominion status, the declared goal of the British Government, should bo granted immediately.—Yours faithfully, > FAIR PLAY. Havelock North, 12/6/30.