POLICY IN INDIA

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1932, Page 5

POLICY IN INDIA

INTEfmONS be BRITAIN WILL NOT BE JOSTLED OFF COMMUNAL DIFFICULTIES MR. MACDONALD’S PROMISE • NECESSITY FOR , DECISION ■■ ■ -iP'•/.,.> • (British Wireless.) ' ,v'. Rec. SJo p.m. Rugfiy/Karch 25. Before Parliament rose to-day for the . Easter recess an important -statement wae made in the House of Commons by v the Secretary for India, . Sir. Samuel Hoare. J .... ■ •' /■ • U Sir Samuel recalled that 7 in December the Hous® of Commons approved the statement on Indian policy made by . the Prime Minister, Mr. Riameay MacDonald, at the end of the round-table conference, and* adopted that-.policy as its own. That policy was being carried into effect. They were going forward resolutely ■ and had not the least intention of being jostled off the road, by threats or fears or midden alarms.. . •• '■

Formidable difficulties were imfortunately inherent in the actual state of India itself. There was firstly the eom- ■ munal trouble and secondly the complexity of the question, bf ah All India , . federation. He appreciated the anxiety of many people in England • who took the view if the Indiana would not agree among themselves why should the British Government intervene and give, a . decision that would dissatisfy many people and satisfy very. few. The ■ trouble, however, was that a great - majority of the people were anxious for a measure of constitutional advance in India, and no effective constitutional /' advance, either in the proyihcgs orfthe 7 ? centre, was possible without some kind ; of communal settlement. ■ / x._ . ' • ,••• J ’• " ■ . ./ WELD NOT ACCEPT’DEADLOCK. The British Government was not pre- 'h-vij pared ’to accept this deadlock. It. said - that by far the best solution was that - the communities should: agree among . ■ themselves, but if the communities £ failed to agree the Government would be compelled to give a provisional decision that would,make possible conetitutional advances. In thss he thought they should agree that as 'D<‘ much as poesiblb of the constitutional structure should be left to be settled . by agreement between the Indians and . Britain. ,; . t “I am exceedingly sorry that the • , ■ communities have not agreed amongst -> . themselves,” continued Sir Samuel. “I think I may claim to know what is in ' the minds of my Moslem friends, the minds of the depressed classes and of the Christian minority. They feel that thev have been drawn into a discussion of the final details of the constitution , before they are sure of the safeguards .- y necessary for their very existence. I can undrstand their anxiety. We have 1 said we will insist upon necessary safeguards for'the minority in any constitutional Act. ■ ’ “Meanwhile,- may I suggest that the leaders ‘of the communities should con- , ~y centrate their, efforts upon organising their forces for the inevitable election ' of the future rather than upon heated discussions as to what the British Government is or is not going to do. • “Secondly, there is the very complex question of the All-India Federation. I am convinced that an All-India Federa- • jl tion comprising both the Ihdian'States ■*;- and the provinces of British India will r give' India much the best chance of con- , stitutional development on safe, and . sopnd foundations. 1 z “>1 wish, to say with the full authority of. the Government that we are f as deeply '’ - J interested in the development of the All- •’ India Federation as w were last winter,”- - Sir Samuel said. “We wish to see the

Princes enter the federal system,.and we believe not only will they best serve their own interests by entering it but also that they will best serve the inter- : ests of India. Of course, there must be difference of opinions amongst the six ' hundred States upon so complex and so novel a question.. It may well J>e that modifications will be required in the . ’J, federal plan as it stands. . “We have not the least wish to ,Impose, even if we could do so, a dictated ■ scheme upon the Indian States. What we want is a workable scheme of effective federation that will combine British / ~' U India and thp Indian States, for the . agreed purposes in an organised eon- a. stitutional structure."