AFFAIRS OF INDIA

Southland Times, Issue 21271, 18 December 1930, Page 7

AFFAIRS OF INDIA

WORK OF CONFERENCE

PROPOSAL TO SEPARATE BURMA LOCAL INQUIRY SUGGESTED (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, December 16. The Prime Minister presided over the India Round-Table Conference, which sat in full committee to consider and note the reports of the sub committees on Burma and the provincial constitutions, and the interim report of the Federal Structure Sub-Committeje. The Prime Minister said the reports were not being adopted in the ordinary way, but had merely been brought back to the full committee to enable any member to make observations regarding the proposals which were to be considered merely as the raw material for the purpose of drawing up a final scheme. The federal structure interim report was adopted practically without comment. When the provincial constitution report was discussed, the view was advanced on behalf of certain minorities that their representations in Cabinet should be statutory. The view was also expressed that the governors’ emergency powers were too wide and vague. There was a general agreement that special powers for governors were necessary, although no very specific opinions were expressed as to what these should be. When the Burma Sub-Committee’s report was under discussion, Shiva Rao and some of the other British Indian delegates expressed doubt whether the Burmese really did desire separation from India, and suggested that the question might be decided by a local inquiry. The Burmese delegate, U. Ba Pe, said separation from India was the universal desire in Burma, but some wanted separation now with dominion status later, while others opposed separation now because there was a doubt whether they would receive dominion status later.

The committee decided to set up additional sub-committees. One will report on what modifications, if any, are to be made in the general provincial constitution to suit the special circumstances of the NorthWest Frontier provinces and another will consider on what main principles is the franchise to be based for men and women. A third will consider questions of political principle relating to defence, other than strictly constitutional aspects. A fourth sub-committee will consider the relations of the service to the new policital structures, including such questions as the rest of British recruitments in all India services, but excluding such subjects as responsibility for internal administration and the police in the provinces. A sub-committee on the question of tho Supreme Court will also be set up and Lord Sankey’s Sub-Committee will have referred to it points four and five on the Lord Chancellor's list of the heads of the subjects, namely, what are to be federal and what central subjects, and secondly, should there be a few subjects at first with the power to increase them or would it be better to have as many subjects as possible now. Following the usual procedure the members of these sub-committees will be nominated by the chairman on the advice of the Business Committee, which meets to consider the matter to-morrow.