INDIA'S AIMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18748, 29 December 1922, Page 5

INDIA'S AIMS

FULL AUTONOMY TO THE PROVINCES. ADDRESS BY MR SASTRI. .t'ress Association—By Telegraph—Copyright DELHI, December 27. . Mr Sastri, in his presidential address to the National Liberal Federation, otherwise the Moderate Congress, at Nagpore, paid a trbuto to Mr E. S. Montagu (the Secretary for India), and expressed regret at the sinister intrigue which had deprived him of office. Referring to the Indianisation of the Civil Service, Mr Sastri declared that if recruitment from Britain were possible only at a greatly enhanced cost, representatives of the people would be reluctantly compelled to recommend the cessation of recruitment. He declared that it was indisputable that tho straitened state of Indian finances was largely due to the inordinately bloated expenditure on, the army. He urged the need of retrenchment and the Indianisation of officers. Dealing with his visit to the dominions, Mr Sastri said that in three countries he visited he saw no insuperable barrier in the wav of the Indian people similar to that reported to exist in South Africa. He considered that no risks need bo appreheilded from granting full autonomy to the Indian provinces, and concluded : “We believe in the ideals of the British commonwealth, cherish our connection therewith, and trust that our equal partnership therein, which is admitted in theory, will soon be translated into fact.” —Reuter. “SAVIOUR OF THE KHALIFAT.” NEW TITLE FOR KEMAL PASHA. DELHI, December 27. Tire National Congress has concluded its session. It confirmed the resolution against the elections to the Council, and adopted a resolution acknowledging Sultan Abdul Hamid as Khalif, and conferring upon Kemal Pasha the title of tho Saviour of the Khalifat. —Reuter.