GRAVEST RISKS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17407, 4 November 1930, Page 5

GRAVEST RISKS

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE EX-ADMINISTRATOR’S VIEWS LONDON, Nov. 2. The Indian committee of the Royal Empire Society, including former eminent Anglo-Indian administrators, declares that the adoption unrevised of the Simon scheme will lead to disaster, inasmuch as the proposed provincial and Indian Parliaments are too large, and electorates are too small, which would result, the coinmitteo fears, in oligarchy and town rule. The committee advocates enfranchising 100.0C0.000 villagers divided into groups of 20. each group orally electing one spokesman. These 5.000.000 spokesmen would form electoral colleges for tho illiterate electors, the Parliamentary candidates being drawn from the spokesmen alone.

The committee does not approve of the enfranchisement of several million women without a grasp of political problems, .though it urges that provincial Governors should ensure the adequate representation of women in the councils. It- favors second chambers for all the provinces, and also relieving inexperienced and overworked governors hv deputy-! ioveniors.

The committee emphasises the importance of maintaining discipline and niorah' in the police force. For this purpose a strong committee. should lie appointed lo lix an irreducible personnel and expenditure for the force in each province during tho coming 10 years.

The retention of British control of the army, states the committee, is essential, but, any promising scheme of Indianisation should be pushed on. The premature introduction of responsible government. is hedged*with the gravest risks, though there is at present no alternative to a. further advance on (be lines adopt-