INDIAN AFFAIRS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15385, 23 February 1912, Page 5

INDIAN AFFAIRS.

« TRANSFER OF THE CAPITAL. DKMTK IN TUB HOUSE OF LORDS , Pr« 9 Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, February 22. , 0 (Received Feu. 23, at 0.15 a.m.) ;d In the House of I/jrds J/ortl Curzon raised a debate on the (jiiostioii of the s . removal of the capital of India from ( n Calcutta to Delhi. He said the step had * s been taken on the initiative- of the Viceroy, who had been in India only a few „ month.';, without consultation with those ' who hod been responsible for the government of India, for 25 years. Not a single representative lxxly in India favoured tho 110 ! policy, and lie feared that tho removal . of the capital would be moro serious for the country than for Calcutta. It was undesirable from a military standpoint, and there was also a danger of making the Government moro bureaucratic. He condoned the now policy in Ikngal, tho agitation being dead. Lord Crewe said the Government had not departed from precedent in submitting changes to Parliament. Without depreciating Calcutta, lie said they all knew that the government was carried d. on there for a short period of the year, and during tho rest of the year at Simla. 0 f The benefits arising from changing tho ns capital were greater than the damage unaVT tained by any class of the community.