INDIAN REFORM

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 7

INDIAN REFORM

A BIG PROBLEM MOMENTOUS PROPOSALS BILL DISCUSSED (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, January 23. Sir Samuel Hoare (Secretary for India), in a speech at Oxford, said the Government of India Bill, which would be issued to-morrow, would deal with every phase of the future government of India, and would contain proposals for setting up an All-India Federation, constitutional schemes for the 11 great provinces (several of them more populous than some of the chief States of the world), and a new constitution for Burma, which henceforth would be separated from India. The Bill should be thought of as a big, bold, and comprehensive attempt to deal with the most involved and intractable problem which ever faced the British Parliament. There would be an outburst of criticism when the Bill appeared, and in India there had already been a full measure of criticism on the report of the Joint Select Committee. He was not surprised at the criticism by the Indian Congress, for it had throughout repudiated the right of the British Parliament to draw up an Indian constitution, and demanded a constituent Assembly free to make any scheme it desired. Nine out of ten Indians, however, knew that such an Assembly would never reach agreement. Despite the criticisms, certain undeniable facts would emerge from the discussion of the Bill. First, it would be clear that the National Government stood by the pledges given to India, and, secondly, no new principles would be introduced into the Bill, which carried out the recommendations of the committee. After examining the case made by the English critics, both Labour and Conservative, Sir Samuel Hoare asked: Would the Bill work? Leaving aside the extremists in both countries, he believed there was a large amount of common ground as to what was desired on both sides. Reasonable Indians wanted a large extension of selfgovernment. Reasonable people here were ready to concede it. Equally both parties desired to avoid disastrous results which might follow too sudden and precipitate changes. “The Indians do not wish to deprive themselves of the advantage of our experience and help. They only apprehend that these may be pressed to a point that would impinge upon the degree of self-government of which they feel themselves capable. We, on our part, only wish to retain power in our own hands so far as is necessary to safeguard in an emergency the essentials of good government, to. protect interests that still need protection, and to carry out the obligations that our long partnership with India has created. Our policy is drawn up with an object vzhich both parties virtually have in common.” Amount of Liberty.

While in England the impressive fact was the amount of liberty conceded—and the difficulty was to persuade people here that the safeguards and reservations would be adequate and effective—the amount of liberty granted was obscured to Indians by the safeguards. Indian critics were apprehensive that the Governor-General and Governors would be dictators. Critics here thought that all political power was being surrendered into the hands of an unrepresentative group of political demagogues and theorists. In both cases the actual working of the constitution would show that . there had been unnecessary apprehension. Common sense and past experience justified this prophecy. Much would depend upon the Governor-General and Governors. The intention of the new constitution would be to extend the sphere of their political guidance, and diminish that of their executive action. There was no reason to assume, that they would be less successful in observing the spirit of the new constitution and in striking a due balance between their divers functions in the future than m 1 After referring to the formidable task with which the machinery of parliamentary government would be faced in passing the Bill without undue delay. Sir Samuel Hoare said if they succeeded they would unite in an All-India Federation, in which the Indian princes and the British Indian public, Moslems, Hindus, and Christians could work together for Indian progress, prosperity, and prestige within the great circle of the Commonwealth of the British Empire. PROTESTS IGNORED HOISTING OF CONGRESS FLAG. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 10.45 p.m.) Calcutta, January 24.

Despite the heated protests of English Councillors in Calcutta, the Nationalist Corporation have decided to hoist the congress flag on municipal buildings on Saturday, where there will be demonstrations throughout India demanding self-government.