THE INDIAN COMMISSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20337, 20 February 1928, Page 10

THE INDIAN COMMISSION

THREATENED WITH A BOYCOTT. CLEAN-OUT STATEMENT BY LORD BIRKENHEAD. SITTINGS WILL NOT BE IMPEDED. (British Official Wireless.) (Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, February 17. Lord Birkenhead, Secretary of State for India, at Doncaster yesterday, delivered an important speech on the situation in India, where the Indian Legislative Assembly is now debating at Delhi the question of boycotting the Indian Statutory Commission. After declaring that the statement issued by Sir John Simon indicating the limits within -which the commission was prepare, to admit nud welcome the co-operation of the Indian Committee had never been discussed by him before the commission left England, 'Lord Birkenhead said those who imagined they could defeat the purpose of the commission by boycotting it had no contact with reality. The assistance of Indian opinion, officially represented and organised, in the committees of the various assemblies would be welcome at every stage, but if that help was not forthcoming the commission would nevertheless carry its task to a conclusion. Lord Birkenhead referred to the British Labour Party’s support for the policy of appointing the Commission, and to the declaration of Mr Ramsay MacDonald that if the Labour Party were returned to power to-morrow India would still find itself confronted with a commission.

Lord Birkenhead expressed the opinion that the boycotters wonld gradually discover how little they represented the vast ■and heterogeneous community of which Britain was the trustee. They would discover millions of Moslems, millions of depressed classes, millions in the AngloIndian business community who In lauded to put tneir case before the commission, which would ultimately report to Parliament. They, should consider whether the attitude recommended by the more extreme elements in India was likely to convince anyone that they were fit for a great extension of the present constitution. They might easily by co-opera-tion so prove it, but he misread the situation if they succeeded in proving that India was already ripe for the extension of the existing constitution by refusing, in the first place, to work it and by declining in the organise! boycott to examine its present workings with a view to its reform and possible extension.