THE RIGHT HON. SRINAVASA SASTRI

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 25

THE RIGHT HON. SRINAVASA SASTRI

VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND. ORATOR AND STATESMAN. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, March 9. When the Right Hon. Srinavasa Sastri, Privy Councillor and a member of the Indian Government, arrives in New Zealand about the middle of June, it is to be hoped that the public, as well as the members of the House of Representatives, w r ill have an opportunity of hearing him speak. Indian aspirations for self-government within the Empire is the subject which is nearest to the heart of this brilliant Indian statesman. It is a delicate subject and everyone may not agree with his opinions, but whatever he may deal with from' the public platform he is bound to make a deep impression upon his audience. During the time when the Imperial Conference was sitting in London, one had an opportunity of hearing a great many speeches made by statesmen of this country arid by representatives from overseas, but amongsit all these orators no one had such mastery over the English language as Mr Sastri. The perfection of his style and the marvellous arrangement of his ideas, allied with masterly delivery, left one thrilled. Few who Were present will forget the impromptu speech he made when the overseas representatives were entertained'Tby the Empire Parliamentary Union in fhe Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. All the speakers had erred in the matter of length and relevancy, some had beer, extremely tedious, and the hour was late. Mr Sastri had the toast of “The Chairman” to propose, and doubtless had prepared a speech of some political. or Imperial significance. Diagnosing the temper of his audience, he put his Well-considered oration into his mental pocket, ar.d in a few minutes he had that bored assembly galvanised into life with his delicate humour and his rapier thrusts of irony. The stately chamber rang with laughter and more than half the pleasure of the evening was condensed into seven minutes of masterly mischief. INVITATION FROM THEUOMINIONS. Mr Sastri, who left this week for Bombay, has accepted an invitation from the Government of India to proceed to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada on an important mission. Reaching India towards the close of this month, he will go to Delhi to report to the Government of India on the proceedings both of the Imperial Conference last summer and of the Washington Conference, where he was the Indian representative. He may be in time to take part in the concluding days of the spring session of the Council of State. Later he will go to the headquarters of the Servants of India Society at Poona, of which he is the head in accordance with the nomination of the date Mr Gokhale. He will then spend a few days at his home in Southern India, and on April 24 will embark at Colombo for Australia and New Zealand. Speaking at the dinner which Mr Sastri gave to Lord Lyttor., wdio will be a fellowpasssenger with him to Bombay, Mr H. A. L. Fisher, M.P., said that no Indian in the long annals of Anglo-Indian history had had such richness and variety of experience in international and Imperial discussions as Mr Sastri, and his work in this connection had raised the reputation of Great Britain all over the world. INDIAN STATUS OVERSEAS. The new mission he has undertaken is to discuss with the Governments and Parliaments of the dominions questions affecting the rights of citizenship of Indians lawfully resident in those countries. He visits them on the cordial invitation extended to him by the respective Prime Ministers during the Imperial Conference. The question Mr Sastri has to deal with is not that of the admission of Indians into the self-governing dominions, for India has decided not to send any of her surplus population to the dominions. Under the arrangement reached at the Imperial War Conference in 1918, India has a reciprocal right of exclusion of citizens of the dominions, but has refiained from enacting legislation for its exercise. Under the resolution of the Irnwrial Conference last year, South Africa alone dissenting, it was agreed that in view of the equal status of Indians in the Empire it was desirable to remove the disabilities they suffer in the dominions and to give them equal rights of citizenship. It is for the purpose of conferring upon local conditions and of* securing the elimination of restrictions based on race that Mr Sastri has received his new mission. In Australia, where he will vspend about four weeks, there are a few hundred Indians of the trading class, but none of the coolie type. In New Zealand, whither lie wall next proceed for a fortnight’s stay, there are very few Indians A month will be devoted to Canada. There are a considerable number of Indian workmen, many of them Sikhs, in British Columbia and a few in other places, chiefly Toronto and Montreal. He will be accompanied by his private secretary, Mr G. S. Bajpai, of the Indian Civil Service. SIR JOHN SALMOND’S COMMENDATION. Before returning to this country' in September Mr Sastri, in response to many invitations which were extended to him while at Washington, will visit the United States, in a private capacity. The lectures he gave in many American towns during his deputation to Washington aroused great interest and were the means of removing many misconceptions of the Indian position arising from press sensationalism and other causes. He was unable to fulfil a tithe<bf the speaking and lecturing engagements pressed upon him and was compelled to give a half promise at least to return to the United States for further speaking when-'opportunity offered. Sir John Sal nond, who saw a great deal of Mr Sastri during the Washington Conference, speaks very highlv of him, and expresses the opinion that the greatest courtesy and hospitality are due to him as a statesman and a scholar when he visits the dominion.