THE INDIA BILL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22503, 22 February 1935, Page 9

THE INDIA BILL

HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE AN AMENDMENT REJECTED (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, February 20. An amendment to establish an advisory council, to be styled the Council of Greater India, in substitution for the Federal proposals in the India Bill, was rejected by 308 votes to 50 during the committee stage of the debate in the House of Commons. ( • Sir Samuel Hoare said that supporters of the amendment based their views on the very tentative and temporary recommendations of the Statutory Commission. The whole essence of the recommendation in tbs report to the Joint Seleet Committee was that over as wide a field as was safe more responsibility should be given in the provinces arid in the centre. His own view since the time the princes made their offer to come into the Federation was that it would be the greatest possible mistake to return to the earlier proposal, which was made by the Statutory Commission only on the assumption that the princes were unlikely to enter the Federation for a considerable time. He felt confident that the princes would on no account co-operate with a body of this kind. When they made their offer four years ago they said quite definitely that they were prepare! to participate in a central Government only if it were the responsible Government. He was convinced that one of teh main reasons prompting the princes was the need they felt' for' a voice in effective control in policy, particularly questions of Customs. A great many'people had at first taken the view that the safer course was to make an advance in the provinces without making a simultaneous advance at the centre. On further consideration, many of them had been driven inevitably to-the view that that was really the more foolish and dangerous course, because to ignore the feeling in the States and in 1 British India that without action at 'the centre. the Indian States would still remain inferior in the eyes of the world would be to run the risk of making a provincial experiment, in the worst possible atmosphere. The first reason that had driven the Government-'-along, the road for including in the Bill a chapter dealing with federation was the almost unanimous feeling in political India; secondly, they had been griavely impressed with the danger of starting those great autonomous provinces in the absence of a Federal link, and with the body of popular feeling behind it. without responsibility at the' centre there would be a danger of India breaking up into fragments; thirdly, the princes would be put in an extremely dangerous position if the.great provincial autonomous Governments were to grow up with popular support -and the centre remained, in its present unreformed position. i Ak)THER 4 AMENDMENT LONDON, February 20. ; (Received Feb. 21, at 9 p.m.) Sir Henry Page 'Croft's amendment) providing, that the proclamation of an Indian Federation be contingent on a request by 'the majority of the elected members of tha Indian Legislature, was defeated by. 230 votes to v 77. ■•"^Sir 1 Samuel Hoare", in opposing the amendment, said it virtually asked the Indian politicians' assembly, which was bound to be biassed, - to constitute itself into a constituent assembly. It would mean the surrender by the Imperial Parliament of a vital responsibility. Several Labour members approved the principle of the - amendment, j but expressed the opinion that its sponsors were only seeking to wreck the Bill.