INDIAN AFFAIRS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9685, 13 June 1917, Page 7

INDIAN AFFAIRS

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS IMPERIAL FEDERATION AND INDIAN IMMIGRATION. Sir Henry Richards, Chief Justice of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. was the chief guest and speaker at a luncheon held by the New Zealand Club yesterday at (he Marble Bar, Willis street. Among those present were the Acting-Prime Minister, (Sir James Allen), the Minister for Justice (the Hon. J. A. Hanan), Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel, and Colonel Collins. Mr Charles E. AVheelcr, president of the club, briefly introduced the speaker. Sir Henry Richards spoke on Indian views on Imperial Federation and the problem of Indian immigration. On the matter of Imperial Federation the speaker said he wished to particularly point out that had he been asked to give his own views on this question ho would have had to decline, as the matter could not havo been dealt with in the short time at his disposal. He would speak on the problem of Indian immigration first, however. He did not propose to discuss whether or not the exclusion o’ Indians from Australia or New Zealand was fundamentally sound. He had only been in Australasia' for a very short time, and so it would be presumption to comment on this. The difference in conditions between Australia and Neu Zealand he know was material in respect to the subject. He had fuither learnt with surprise that the immigration regulations which existed in New Zealand differed not only in word Horn the Australian regulations, but wo m execution. He could understand and sympathise with our aspect of the question if there were a great influx of coolie labour into the Dominion, par ticularly where climatic condl *|°“* d a,l0 He ed of white labour being employee}. H was sure that the apprehensions in Australia- ami New Zealand the coun try would bo swamped with Indians i tho regulations were relaxed * j great exaggeration. The speaker woul ask thOTe present to consider whether or not any imnoigration regulations not be made as little personal to tiic feelings of Indians as they P® ssl^. could bo made, and also that tne striotions should be framed only so that the reasonable apprehensions of the D minion might be safeguarded. AN IMPORTANT LETTER. Continuing. Sir Henry said he wouW relate a story that had a direct inff on the immigration problem, the in which the matter was looked on in -India, and also the new ot Indians as to Imperial lederation, ’ll story concerned tho visit ■ Mulr Eton Curtis of the “Round Table group, India!’ Previously Mr Curt.s had held tho opinion that in the plan >f H 1 * perial Federation India could be ig Sored. After a short study o‘ India Mr Curtis was convinced that *ns ideas about India and Imperial ledtiation were erroneous., AVith thei prolonging his May m India Mi Curtis wrote a letter in which he detailed hib altered opinions and the .difficulties preseated by India. While the people of Central Africa were scarcely capable ot forming any valid opinion as to how they should be governed, there were in. India, wrote, Mr Curtis, small but important sections who could, and did, formulate opinions. However, the opinion of these sections could not be accepted as the final criterion of Indian policy. Indian opinion could not rule India until the Indians capable of forming such opinion were united, organised. and numerous enough to exact regular, willing and continuous obedience from, their fellow-countrymen who had not as yet acquired the faculty of political judgment. The policy of the British Government was to develop opinion and accept it whore it could. Mr Curtis further stated that the new and reformed Imperial Government must control India and South Africa, and as Indian opinion was consulted in integral affairs so there must be some way of enabling' the same influence to influence external policy. One of the copies of this letter surreptitiously got into other Hands and was published in a Bombay newspaper. “You cgnnot believe what a storm this letter created,” said Sir Henry. “Mr Curtis, the ‘Eoifnd Table’ officials, and others wore denounced as conspirators.” AVHAT CAUSED THE AGITATION. The whole agitation arose because the, opinion was held in India that the colonies would have a say in Indian affairs. Frojn tho Indian viewpoint tho very notion of allowing the Dominions to have one word to say in their affairs was' unthinkable. They knew that the people in the colonies were the very ones who absolutely refused Indians to land in their Dominions. The Indians, of course, did not appreciate the reasons for their being refused admission to the Dominions. In fact there was an intense feeling in India on this question. The people resented the existence of this regulation. And vet there was a large percentage of Indians who, because of the very existence of these immigration restrictions, had not the remotest idea of leaving India to go to tho colonies. In many cases ijheir religion was against their coming hero. The tenets of their religion laid down that any Indian who went to stay in. a distant country—who crossed the water —lost his caste. FEELING INTENSE ON THE MATTER. The feeling of resentment in this respect was shared more particularly by Indians of independent-or semi-indepen-dent States. The feeling was such that thev did not want to come’ to the Dominions, and -would refuse : to allow any of their subjects to come here. They considered that tho laws in tho Dominions on the matter were an insult to them. They looked upon it as a refusal upon our part to recognise them as subjects.

Tha speaker was far from saying, however. that no regulations at all should be in force, but he hoped that what he had said would at least convince his hearers that the existing immigration regulations should be modified. Personally the speaker did not think that the regulations should bar educated Indians from coming to the Dominion. IMPERIAL FEDERATION. In conclusion Sir Henry touched on the subject of the Indian view of Imperial Federation. This subject had been discussed very little in India until Mr Curtis’s visit. Then perhaps it was the surreptitious publication of his letters that really proved a blessing in disguise. Curtis was called a conspirator, and his name was in every mouth, and so it was that later he had published a reply in the form of a booklet, the title of which was "A. Letter to the Indian People.” In this booklet Mr Curtis explained the whole matter of the letter, and made suggestions as to how India could l>e represented in the Imperial Parliament. The result iva-s that thousands and tens of thousands of Indians read the booklet, and when the speaker left India it was being very much criticised and discussed. He understood that the people of India were now actively discussing how they can be represented in the Imperial Parliament, and take part in the Federation. Public opinion had advanced rapidly in India within recent S'ears, and the war had greatly stimulated this growth. Then there was the fact that from the groat part India had taken in the present war it had claims on the British Entire, no matter what part of the ’ Empire was considered. The address was brought bo a conclusion with hearty applause, and the gathering dispersed after singing of the National Anthem.