STILL MOST TEMPTING BAIT

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1934, Page 7

STILL MOST TEMPTING BAIT

INDIA LIABLE TO BE INVADED. DEBATE BY COUNCIL OF STATE. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright Rec. 8.10 p.m. Calcutta, March 20. In the Council of State at New Delhi yesterday Field-Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, Commander-in-Chief in India, replied to criticism of army costs and the frequent demands for withdrawal of British troops from India. India, he said, was still the most tempting bait In the world for invasion and the majority of troops were kept not for war purposes but for internal security. If the British troops were removed the provincial Governments would immediately protest. It was quite impossible to reduce defence costs when a large proportion was used to keep Indians from getting at each other’s throats and to deal with extremist congressmen and agitators trying to inflame the frontier tribes. India was spending less than a third of Britain’s expenditure on defence. During the debate an Indian declared that an attack on India through China or Afghanistan was the major danger. India’s geographical position was vastly different from that of Australia or Canada.