CASE OF GENERAL DYER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1862, 12 July 1920, Page 5

CASE OF GENERAL DYER.

HUNTER REPORT DISCUSSED. SPEECH BY MR MONTAGU. (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, July 9. In the House of Commons the greatest interest was manifested in the debate on the Hunter report and the case, ol General Dyer. The House was crowded and excited when the Hon. E. S. Montagu (Secretary of State for India) rose to move the vote of £53,500 as a contribution to the cost or' the Department of the Secretary of State for India and the Council. Mr Montagu deprecated the criticism of the personnel of the Hunter committee, resenting emphatically the criticism already offered. Proceeding, Mr Montagu declared that General Dyer had acted during the Punjab riots 'on the theory of terrorism and subordination. General Dyer, by this theory, intended to teach the whole of Punjab a moral lesson, and lie had embarked on a ter-

rorism to which there was no end. Mr Montagu described the flogging order as sheer frightfulness, and asked whether Britain was going to keep her hold on India by terrorism, racial humiliation and frightfulness, or by the growing goodwill of the people of the Indian Empire. It was of no use passing a. groat Act of Parliament, which proceeded on the principle of a partnership for India in the British Commonwealth, and then to allow the administration to depend on terrorism. ''lndia, is on your side in enforcing order," added Mr Montagu. "Are you on India's side in ensuring that order is enforced with the maintenance of the

love, of liberty, of a. British democracy?" Mr Montagu pointed out thirty-seven instances of firing in the last year's disturbances. The Government had approved of thirty-six, and only censured one. because it infringed the principles on which the Indian Empire had been built. Amid considerable dissent. .Mr Montagu declared that there was a theory abroad amongst the critics of the Government that an Indian was only tolerable so long as he obeyed orders; that if once he became educated he was to be classed as an agitator. Concluding, Mr Montagu asked whether the theory of rule in India was racial ascendancy, domination, subordination or partnership. If the former, then it followed that the sword must be used witli increasing severity until Britain had been driven out of the country by the opinion of the united civilised world. The choice of the House was fundamental to tha continuation of the British Empire, and the connection between Britain and India.

Sir Edward Carson considered that Air Montagu's argument was irrelevant, and urged the House to be fair to a gallant officer of thirty-four years' service, without a blemish. He asked 1 whether General Dyer would receive a lair trial before being broken and sent into disgrace.. Motions to reduce the estimates were defeated.—(A. and N.Z. cable.) Received July 12. 8.00 a.m. LONDON, July 9. A "White Paper has been issued giving the defence of General Dyer. Ho points out that he knew the military dangers of the position and the cloud in Afghanistan. He also realised the; gathering in Jallianwallaghbagh was not fortuitous, but had assembled with the express intent to challenge Government authority and defy him to fire upon them. It was. in fact, a rebel ai my. lie was conscious that a great offensive movement was gathering, and t> sit still and await complete mobilisation would be fatal, 'lie could not regard the Jalliauwallaghbagh assembly as a mere political gathering. He looked on Aniritsar as a storm centre of rebellion. lie also knew that attempts were being made to seduce his troops, and if he had shirked the challenge there, would have infallibly followed a general mob movement inside and outside of Aniritsar, which would have destroyed the European population and involved in its ruin the lawabiding Indian population, leading to similar results throughout the Punjaub.

General Dyer contends that his object was right. The force used was not excessive and achieved the desired effect, and also no less force would have achieved the effect.—(Renter.)