DEFIANT INDIANS

Northern Advocate, 18 July 1933, Page 5

DEFIANT INDIANS

VIOLATION OF CIVIL LAW IMPASSE STILL UNBROKEN. GANDHI AGAIN OBSTRUCTIVE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received 9 a.m.) CALCUTTA, .July 17. A conference of the Indian Congress leaders lias passed a resolution ip favour of calling off the civil disobedience campaign, provided that an honourable agreement is reached as a result of negotiations between the Viceroy, the Earl of Willingdon, and Gandhi. The session was hold in secret, but the newspapers state that Gandhi’s speech in support of this resolution resulted in the rejection of a proposal favouring the unconditional abandonment of the civil disobedience campaign, which, it was stated, was earlier favoured by the majority of the Congress, Gandhi telegraphed to the Viceroy, asking for an interview, but the Viceroy refused to grant an interview. The Viceroy’s stand is in accordance with the well-known policy of the Government to refuse to • negotiate while the civil disobedience movement remains the official policy of the Congress.

VICEROY STANDS FIRM. definite Refusal. (Received IT a.m.) CALCUTTA, July 17. In the course of his reply to Gandhi, the Viceroy said; “I would gladly have seen you, but it would seem that you are still opposed to withdrawing civil disobedience except on conditions negotiated with the Government. It also appears that unless Congress reaches a settlement as the result of such discussion, the civil disobedience will be resumed on August 1.

“I pan hardly nood to remind you that, as elvil disobcdienee is wholly uneonstitutional, the Government cannot enter into any negotiations for its withdrawal, but if the all-India Congress desires to resume its position as a constitutional party, the way is open, as it has always been,” Gandhi was not satisfied with the Viceroy’s definite refusal to see him, and he sent a rejoinder expressing surprise at the tone of the Earl of Willingdon’s telegram,' which he declares is based on unauthorised reports on what happened at the conference of the Congress leaders. Gandhi declares that a personal interview would clear up the misunderstanding, but it is anticipated that the Viceroy will repeat his refusal of an interview.

GENERAL SURVEY. CHEERFUL FACTORS. FINE RECORD OF PROGRESS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, July 17. In the course of his speech ou India, Sir Samuel Hoare took a cheerful view of the general outlook. He said the questions interesting administrators in India today were not so much questions connected with civil disobedience or law and order, but the general fields of administration, particularly important questions in the social and economic, rather than the political fields. Thanks to the efforts of a g-'cat body of officials in India —both British and Indian —backed in recent months by the growing body of public opinion expressing itself in provincial founcils, civil disobedience haul not become a matter of secondary importance. Referring to the fine record in regard to health, the Minister said a new drug had been discovered which, as far as his medical advisers could judge, would be effective in preventing relapses that for years had been at the back of a malaria epidemic.

Still further advances have been made in irrigation, and work was being . continued on various projects, four of which at present in hand covered areas of more than one million acres. Wlien they were completed the total area irrigated would be 40,000,000 acres. ■ Crops last season and the projects for this year were satisfactory. Land Revenue Worry. Probably the most difficult problem facing the Indian agricultural community, apart from the question of price, was that of land revenue and taxation. Thanks chiefly to Mio farsighted initiative of the pivivucial governments, involving in a space of three months a reduction in rents and taxation to the extent, of over 23,000,000, a readjustment in agricultural holdings had been made which penned to have been accepted as fair by both landlords and tenants.

Trade reports were becoming more encouraging, and the prices of several commodities had risen. Trade in India had increasingly resumed its normal course, undisturbed by political agitations. Sir Samuel, dealing with the financial position, said the Government of India might look back with satisfaction on the improvement effected, although it

had entailed high taxation and civil retrenchment. Government securities had risen, and borrowing had huon effected at declining rates. The improvement in the general feeling toward law and order was demonstrated by the provincial legislatures’ passage of legislation to replace the ordinances, and by the fact that interest in civil disobedience had fallen to such a low ebb that its suspension at the beginning of Gandhi’s recent fast made little or no practical difference. There was only a fifth of the civil disobedience of a year ago, and a tenth of three years ago, also, the great majority of the Congress committee wore not imprisoned at all.