FUTURE OF INDIA

Southland Times, Issue 21561, 26 November 1931, Page 7

FUTURE OF INDIA

WORK OF CONFERENCE DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT SOUGHT POLICY OF GOVERNMENT (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, November 24. It is generally expected that the present session of the India Round-Table Conference will be brought to a close about the middle of next week. The Federal Structure Committee to-day resumed its discussion on commercial safeguards. The only remaining reserved subject for discussion is financial administration. The committee will approve of a brief report on these matters before it passes on to a plenary session at which the Prime Minister, Mr MacDonald, will make a statement on the policy of the Government. The terms of this statement will be governed to a large extent by the results of private conversations which were begun yesterday when the Prime Minister, accompanied by Lord Sankey and Sir Samuel Hoare, met the leader of important sections of the Indian delegations. The interviews were continued to-day, when Gandhi and others were received by the Prime Minister.

Very strong pressure, has been brought to bear upon the Primo Minister by a section of Conservative members of Parliament led by Mr Winston Churchill to have a debate in the House of Commons before his speech at the conference, summing up the results and restating the Government’s policy in India, is delivered. The Times says there will presumably be no difficulty about staging such a debate before the House rises, but there is no essential connection between the proceedings of Parliament at this stage and Mr MacDonald’s closing speech as chairman of the conference.

The Manchester Guardian says the Prime Minister has a united Cabinet behind hint in standing by the declaration made at the close of the last conference.

Meanwhile, although it is recognized that a settlement among the delegates themselves of the communal problem would have been incomparably better, the Prime Minister’s oiler of help from flic British Government still stands, and his efforts to compose differences are being continued. During to-day’s debate on finance, Sir Tej Sapru suggested that they might make provision in the statute for the establishment of a financial council for the period of transition to advise the Finance Minister with regard to currency and exchange. Power of disallowance, vested in the Gover-nor-General would afford the amplest possible guarantee for the safe and sound administration of currency and exchange during the period of transition. In addition there was power of dissolution. With regard to the raising of future loans, he would propose that there be a public loans board to advise.

Lord Reading said the position at present in the financial world was confused and difficult, and Indian finances could never be free from some dependence on international finance. Currency and exchange should be dealt with by a reserve bank along non-political lines which would have the management of currency and exchange only. Lord Reading explained that the views he expressed were personal, and the reservations upon which he insisted were meant solely to give confidence to investors in India —investments in India amounted to about £350,000,000 —and to retain unimpaired India’s financial credit and stability. Ihe Moslem delegates to the conference were the gusts of the National League at a reception at which the Aga Khan said they wanted to live in self-respecting amity and on terms of equality and friendship with other people and races. Sir Muhamad Shafi said Moslems believed with all sincerity that the future of India lay within the British Commonwealth of Nations and would do all in their power to counteract a movement designed to bring about a separation. ACTS OF TERRORISM ‘ MEASURES FOR SUPPRESSION. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) London, November 24. Lord Lothian, replying in the House of Lords to a debate on India raised by lord Brentford, announces that drastic action would be taken to end terrorism which was a menace to individual liberty and social peace. Real self-govern-ment could not develop where anarchy and terrorism were allowed to thrust constitutional government aside. It was no exaggeration to say that to-day in some districts of Bengal every officer of the Government went about his duties in peril of his life. BURMA CONFERENCE ADDITIONAL DELEGATES. (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, November 24. Additional delegates to the Burma RoundTable Conference, which the Prince 'of Wales will inaugurate on Friday, are Sir Samuel Hoare, Lord Lotlnan and Miss May Oung, who will represent Burmese women.