INDIA’S CHALLENGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 October 1921, Page 5

INDIA’S CHALLENGE.

MEANING OF REVOLT. IS AUTHORITY WANING? THE PRINCE’S VISIT. By Tel*rr*i>h. —Preu Assn.—Copyright. Received Oct. 26, 8.40 p.m. London, Oct. 25. In the House of Lords, on the eve of the Prince of Wales’ departure for India, Lord Sydenham (an ex-Governor of Bombay) initiated a debate, marked by much plain speaking, regarding the the condition of India. Lord Sydenham said that since the present Secretary for State took office there had been a disastrous series of mistakes and dissensions, which had weakened British authority. To-day the masses in India widely believed that British rule was ending.

Lord Curzon (a former Viceroy of India) heatedly denied the truth of Lord Sydenham's allegations. ’ The Viceroy and his council know the situation better than the noble Lord,” he said. This debate =honkl never have been initiated. Lord Sydenham's highly colored sentences would be cabled to India and would be distorted and exaggerated and would produce a result very different from what waa intended. The question whether the Prince should go to India had been seriously considered and the decision was made after the Viceroy and his Council had prepared a guarantee that every precaution would be taken. Hitherto the Prince had been a herald of good understanding and goodwill and a harbinger of peace, and it was aimoat a crime to oast doubt regarding similar success in India.

Lord Chekna ford said the dominant factor in India was the color issue; it was a revolt against the ascendancy of the white man. Formerly we governed on the superiority of the British race, but that superiority was now challenged and we could not evade the challenge. Lord Lytton, replying. protested against India being represented us being in a state of agitation from one end to the other. The new constitution was working as well a= could be expect-ed.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.