INDIAN AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 21897, 24 December 1932, Page 5

INDIAN AFFAIRS

IMPROVED SITUATION EMERGENCY ORDERS MAY CEASE LABOUR CONDITIONS (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, December 22. Sir Samuel Hoare made a statement on India during the debate on the adjournment in the House of Commons. He said that as far as he could judge the situation in India was definitely better. The Ottawa agreement had been passed by the Assembly by 77 votes to 25 —very significant evidence of the goodwill between the Indian Legislature and the Imperial Parliament. As to the emergency orders, he had always hated them and none wished to see them imposed unless absolutely necessary. He was glad to be able to announce that, so far as he could see, by the beginning of the New Year there need be no more emergency orders. Referring to a suggestion made by a previous Opposition speaker that there had been a change in the Government’s attitude toward the Indian Conference, Sir Samuel Hoare said he could say quite categorically that there was no difference at all. They were trying to get exactly the same results as before. A great measure of agreement had been reached not only between the Governments in Britain and India, but also with the Indian delegation in London. The Government would do everything in its power to increase the forces of goodwill, and would show a willingness to co-operate with India if India would co-operate with them. . With regard to the labour conditions revealed in the Whitley report, Sir Samuel Hoare said the administration of l abour questions was a transferred subject, and the India Office therefore had little or no control, but his advisers and himself were fully alive to the need for a great improvement, and all the influence they could exert would be in the direction of helping both the Central and the Provincial Governments to do everything possible to raise the standard of labour condilions generally.