Self-rule for India

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7070, 1 February 1933, Page 9

Self-rule for India

INTERESTING ADDRESS AT CITIZENS’ LUNCHEON CLUB The speaker at the Citizens’ Luncheon Club yesterday was Mr. Prank Opie, who gave a comprehensive study of the racial, religious and administrative questions which are interwoven in the problem of “Self-Rule Por India. ’ ’ Mr. Opie, in opening, said his remarks would apply moro particularly to the British Administration of India, around which centred a question of theory vorsus practice. India’s past was a long series of invasions that had been forced on India through the passes of the Himalayas. It was through these passes that hordes or barbaric tribesmen had made their way to the plains below and this histone fact must be kept in view in a study of modern India. The British had entered India, not as ruthless conquerors, but as penetrating tradors whose hand had been forced to a policy of native -’•Otection. England, the “Imperial Oppressor,” was the only Power which had afforded a real period of peace in India, and the best brains of Imperialist development had been devoted to improving the lot of the great Indian people. Britain ha/ above all, given the tribesmen that essential security of tenure of their land which alone could make farming profitable. With the assistance of British capital and British c- gineers, over 40,000 miles of Tailway, carrying a total of

623,000,000 passengers annually, had been laid down in India. The country also possessed tho greatest irrigation works in the world, thanks to British activity. A total of 28,000,000 acres in British India had been placed undor irrigation, served by ■ ,000 miles of government canals, and it was hoped to increaso the area to 40,000,000 acres. Tho telegraph had also /. -n installed throughout tho country. Trade, which is undoubtedly the keynote of modern prosperity, had experienced an enormous increase in volume under British supervision. In 1930, 8,000,000 tons of shipping cleared Indian ports laden with goods for export.

Britain had also established in India the largest University in the world, and had applied it largely to tho combatting of tropical diseases. Despite the difficulties of Western intervention in Oriental customs, Britain had achieved a great deal in effacing such harmful practices as infanticide and sutee.

The morale and efficiency of tho public service had experienced a great uplift under British supervision and the servieo was now one of the finest in tho world.

The question now facing all thinkers on India was, “Is India fitted to receive self-rule?” The Indian, as an individual, had slight regard for the condition of the masses as a whole, but persisted in declaiming loudly against tho British Administration. The religious controversy, with tho consiain, and bitter rivaly between followers of the different faiths, was the most serious factor militating against self-rule. Under the elective system it was almost certain that any elected National Government would be a Hindu Oligarchy. The confusion was increased by tne fact that India contained over 200 distinct languages, a dissentient factor which was added to by the pitiless system of cast. Tho social environment of the Hindu was such that the average Hindu was so much the slave of old religious customs that he had little desire to improve his status. Gandhi himself admitted that many of these customs were tho worst enemies of national unity and improvement. Education, so necessary if the masses were to participate in national government, was seriously hindered by the odious restrictions of cast.

England was subjected to: many criticisms in her administration, especially regarding India's cotton trade, but to a large extent the arguments levelled at her were fallacious ones. Whatever was said of expenditure on the army, it was obvious that the troops were the only guarantee of frontier security, and any money spent on the army was money well spent. Mr. Opie affirmed that, were British influence withdrawn, India would again assume the nature of a wonu battleground, riven by civil war within and international warfare without. British control was lna-'pe usable if a state of chaos such as existed in China were to be averted.

Mr. Opie concluded by quoting from the Simon report on India, which showed how India would be literally helpless were she bereft of British dominance.

Mr. Murray then called on mr. Maurice Cohen, who was the guest of the club, to move a vote of thanks to the speaker.