EVENTS IN INDIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 13

EVENTS IN INDIA

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS DEFINITION OF THE LIMITS REPLY TO MR CHURCHILL (British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Teleeranh— Copyright) RUGBY, June 17. One of the longest questions ever addressed to a Prime Minister was answered by Mr Neville Chamberlain in the House of Commons when lie replied to Mr Churchill’s searching and detailed inquiries with the object of obtaining a close definition of the limits within which parliamentary questions relating to events in India could be answered in the future. Mr Chamberlain’s statement was also of unusual length. He made it clear that until Part II of the Government of India Act relating to the Federation came into force, no change in the practice of question and answer at Westminster was called for in relation to the operations of the Central Government.

" I suggest that the broad and general guiding principle which ought to be adopted as to the admissibility of questions on Indian provincial affairs is that such questions ought not now to be regarded as in order unless it can be shown either than the action at issue was taken by the Governor without consulting his Ministers or against their advice, or, alternatively, that the Governor was in possession of powers applicable to the case which, in fact, he failed to exercise,” said Mr Chamberlain. "But I also suggest that even this right ought to be used with discretion and restraint and that his Majesty’s Government must itself exercise careful discretion as to the extent to which it is expedient in questions at Westminster, even if the Ministry in power did not for the time being possess the confidence of the majority of the Legislature.” Mr Chamberlain, having laid down the guiding principle, declined to define in detail his attitude to the various categories of inquiries listed by Mr Churchill except to declare emphatically that provincial autonomy must be deemed to be in operation with the corresponding restriction in any given case from supplying information about facts and events in an Indian province.