INDIAN BOYCOTT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 36, 26 January 1932, Page 5

INDIAN BOYCOTT

CAMPAIGN CONTINUING ORGANISED VICTIMISATION. CONGRESS PRESSURE ON MERCHANTS. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) (Received 26, 10.30 a.m.) Calcutta, Jan. 2a. The campaign of boycott against British goods shows no signs of abating in Calcutta and Bombay, where there is organised victimisation and extortion in the bazaars by Congress agents. Indian shops in Bombay selling exclusively foreign goods are plastered with posters bearing boycott slogans and merchants refusing to subscribe to Congress funds are threatened by gangs or hooligans. In some cases shops have been looted and wrecked because the owners refused to obey the Congress mandate to close in sympathy with the arrest of the Congress chiefs. This new form of oppression resulted in the Bombay Stock Exchange being virtually closed for three weeks. VICEROY'S REVIEW OF SITUATION. (Received 26, 10.10 a.m.) Calcutta, Jan. 25. The Viceroy, addressing the Legisla tive Assembly at New Delhi, reviewed the political situation and declared that there had been no departure by himself or by the Government from the path of conciliation until the Congress itself had wantonly torn up that path. No Government worth the name would hesitate to accept the challenge. Compromise was impossible with those who chose to break the law. There could be no relaxation of the measures while circumstances made them necessary.

The Viceroy referred to the improved price of agricultural products, declaring that the country’s economic situation was sound and healthy and compared favourably with other countries. As the result of keeping the rupee linked with sterling, India’s floating debt had been reduced from £63,000,000 to £45,000,000, and there was a marked improvement in India’s credit.