INDIAN REFORMS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 29, 5 January 1931, Page 7

INDIAN REFORMS

PROGRESS OF CONFERENCE.

LONDON PAPER’S PRAISE,

GOOD WORK ACCOMPLISHED.

(United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) ‘ (British Official Wireless.)

Received January 5, 11.17 a.m. RUGBY, Jan. 3. Yesterday the Indian Round Table Conference reached an important stage. The discussions and progress of the last few days have been such as to give hope of an early favourable conclusion to the proceedings. A food number of the Indian delegates ave arranged to return home towards the end of January. A leader in the Times reviews the progress and refers particularly, to the •impression in some quarters that the conference is procrastinating or failing. It states that tire delegates themselves are not dissatisfied nor despondent, and said that informed outsiders can ' only be amazed by what, in fact, has been achieved. Never before in all history was the conference faced with problems so colossal, complicated and independent. Thanks to the Statutory Commission’s report and other documents a basis of discussion was ready, but even so, and allowing for “the infinite variety of interests presented and the gift of oratory possessed by most of their exponents, it must remain a remarkable accomplishment that a bare month and a halt should have produced so large a measure of agreement about so many elements in the future constitution of India.” The question of Burma is practically decided and the concensus ot the problem of the North-West Frontier Province has passed through the subcommittee with the minimum of reservations.

Reports exist on the future franchise and the provincial constitution. The Times believes that the HinduMoslem tension, strained almost beyond endurance by partisan propaganda from India, now shows signs of yielding to generous statesmanship, and adds: — “Let it never be forgotten that the business of the conference is not to produce a draft constitution in detail, out to set before Parliament in an outline the largest possible area of common ground. Many difficult problems remain and that of the federal structure, including the vital question of the character of the central executive and responsibility to the central legislature will take a few more days in committee. “Though they were so far placed in tlieir proper sequence yesterday, these difficulties are not removed, but are very materially diminished by the new prospect of an All India federation being an imdediate possibility. The chances of a stable Legislature are far greater than they were and the whole Li'cnd of the round table discussion has been to reveal unanimous agreement on the necessity for a strong Government. Nor does anyone seriously challenge the case for what are commonly called reservations and safeguards, which was admitted with the utmost frankness by Sir Tez Sapru yesterday.” The leader points out that the whole theory of the Round Table Conference was that it was a common meeting ground of fellow-workers on equal terms, and the paper claims for the conference the valuable result of bringing all its members down from the clouds. The habit of working' together has grown and there is incomparably less of that suspicion which JLord Sankey has deprecated as an impossible foundation for future peace. The Times concludes that the conference may fairly claim that it has neither wasted time nor avoided the crucial issues.

LONDON TIMES’S COMMENT.

LONDON, Jan. 3. Tho Times, in reviewing the Indian Conference, visualises the prospect of an All-India Federation as ail immediate possibility, not merely an ideal for the future.

“The chances of stable legislature are greater than ever,” the paper states. “The whole trend of the conference has been to reveal a unanimous agreement on the necessity of strong government. There is no longer any serious divergence hero about the transference of effective responsibility to Indian shoulders. “The conference would not be a complete failure even if it broke up in disorder to-morrow.