The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1931. ALL-INDIA FEDERATION.

Southland Times, Issue 21288, 8 January 1931, Page 6

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1931. ALL-INDIA FEDERATION.

British policy in India. is based on the gradual development of I hat vast, and populous country towards responsible government and the increasing association of Indians in all administrative branches. This is the goal which has been steadily pursued and in spite of the non-cooperatioii policy of Gandhi and his many followers much ground has been gained. The terrorist campaigns in Bengal and the political and economic troubles resulting from the civil disobedience movement might well have caused any nation but Britain to lose patience in its efforts to encourage self-government, but in spite of all the difficulties there has been no wavering in the sentiment of Britain that in due time India will receive dominion status. We in New Zealand have little idea of the complicated structure of India. The difficulty of Britain’s task may, however, be gauged from the following statement made by a. former Governor of Bengal:

It is well to bear in mind that the peoples living in British India number some 250,000,000 souls; that they speak more than 220 languages, belonging lo six different families of speech; that, of these 250,000,000, 229,000,000 are illiterate; that they comprise innumerable sects of no less than nine distinct religions; that they represent every phase of civilization from the Stone Age to the twentieth century; that no one of the 163,000,000 Hindus may marry any one. of the. 60,000,0000 Moslems; and finally that the 163,000,000" Hindus themselves arc separated by an exclusive and fissiparous system of caste into innumerable water-tight compartments whose members are cut off from one another by an elaborate system of social inhibitions and religious taboos.

In no British possession have conditions been so unfavourable for self-government; yet the. goal seems already in sight. The important round-table conference which is notv being held in London and which is attended by 66 Indians'of all religions and all parties except the Nationalists haa already achieved results that have exceeded the most sanguine expectations of those who knew how difficult were the problems involved. The conference was called not with the object of furthering the cause of the British Empire. The welfare of India was the sole concern, and it does seem from the progress that has already been made that the day is much nearer when India will satisfy her awakening political consciousness and enter the comity of self-governing British dominions. The fundamental choice before the conference appears to lie between a scheme of government into which the whole Indian population, native States as well as British provinces, can lit naturally as time goes

on or a scheme which will leave India in a condition similar to that of Ireland except that there will be many Ulsters instead of one. It has to be remembered that one-third of the area of India is not British at al). There are 560 Indian states the rulers of which look to Britain to preceive their integrity and protect them from external danger. Fortunately the Native Princes have signified their intention of joining the federal constitution for all India, so that the principal difficulty to the broader scheme lias been removed. It. is obvious, however, that whatever the outcome of the conference on matters concerning the federal legislature and constitution, such matters as defence, foreign relations, internal' security and financial obligations will be reserved, for some years to come, for the British Government to deal with. The present conference marks the most significant phase yet reached in IndoBritish relations ami it is greatly to be lipped that the closing discussions prove as fruitful as the successful sessions that have already been held.