THE WIDE WORLD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17609, 27 October 1931, Page 12

THE WIDE WORLD

Points o( View

iflg, ‘ ’ Some Newspaper Opinions THE FLOODS IN CHINA; Truth (London): The catastrophe ranks with the Japanese earthquake which wipeil out Yokohama and half Tokio in .192.'!. “Nature’s safetyvalve ’’ indeed has never been so wide open since the Taiping Rebellion, in the middle of last century, which kilted off 70,000.090 people in IT yeat's. The brutal fact is that, without the perennial floods and famines —most of them never heard of in Europe—such a people would soon burst their borders. And even with the destruction of recent years—say in till, at a very rough computation eight or nine million unnatural deaths —there lots been an enormous ilow of emigration into the virgin lands of North Manchuria and always a steady tide to the South Setts. OUTRAGES IN INDIA Calcutta Englishman: The truth seems to be that 'the Government at Home and in Judin have been mesmerised; their will is no longer their own. Political wizardry, has induced them into what, looks more and more like it trance than a truce. The conditions of the Irwin-Oandhi agreement have been broken again and again alike in the cities ami in the distressed villages of rural'lndia. The extremist politician is interpreting the past in his own way and for- his own purposes, ami lie is daily dishonoring its terms with impunity. The public have tolerated' the Government’s real or protended blindness to the facts Ihrough many exasperating months. They certainly cannot be charged with impatience if they now demand that some limit be set to these dangerout, activities, and that those responsible for governing the country'shall shake themselves free of political spells and make some effort to carry out their primary duty the maintenance of law and order. THE INDIAN CONGRESS IN RETREAT G. T. Garratt in the New Statesman and Nation (London): The revolt of the moderate element inside the Congress; and also of the shopkeepers, can be seen in a hundred lit(lq items which appear in the press or come to one’s knowledge in everyday life. Many who joined the Congress about two years ago arc now quietly withdrawing from its activities. The moderate elements in the Nationalist movement naturally become •more active when they foresee that a real transfer of responsibility is likely to take place. There are thousands of men taking some part in public life who arc quite prepared to lot the Congress do the work of agitation, and even of bargaining with England, but have not the least- intention of allowing it to dictate the future domestic policy of India. The future of the National Congress is therefore Very uncertain. It is possible that iho Congress may break up into provincial groups with varying policies.