STATUS OF INDIANS

Southland Times, Issue 19100, 19 November 1923, Page 5

STATUS OF INDIANS

GENERAL SMUTS’S OPPOSITION INDIAN DELEGATE’S VEHEMENT ATTACK IGNORES ORDINARY COURTESIES (By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Ctfble Association.) LONDON, November 16. The close of the Imperial Conference was marked by an acrimonous controversy between Dr. Sapru (Indian delegate! and General Smuts. The former, when interviewed on the eve of his departure for India, emphasising his failure with General Smuts on the subject of the status of Indians, said that General Smuts had heaped insult on the Government of India, and by his attitude of obstinacy had harmed the Empire of which he posed as champion. General Smuts, interviewed, said he was surprised at, and regretted Dr. Sapru’s attack, which he feared would do the cause of India great disservice, and that difficult cause was unlikely to be made easier by vehement attacks by representatives of other nations. The dominions were represented at the Imperial Conference by premiers vested with full responsibility. Dr. Sapru was not even an ordinary member of the Government of India, and he departed without the etiquette which all the other representatives at the Conference had observed to each other. General Smuts emphatically repudiated the ludicrous charge of insulting the Government of India.