21 CASUALTIES WHEN MAIL TRAIN IS DERAILED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18522, 24 July 1928, Page 10

21 CASUALTIES WHEN MAIL TRAIN IS DERAILED.

THROWN FROM LINE SOUTH OF MADRAS. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph^—Copyright.) CALCUTTA. July 23. In the derailment of the Ceylon boat mail train, twenty-nine rpiles south of Madras, one passenger was killed and twenty were injured.—United Service. NATIVES DEMANDING BETTER CONDITIONS. The riots following the railway strike were probably due to the excitability of natives in their demands for better labour conditions. The trouble was mainly an economic one. These were opinions expressed yesterday to a “ Star **’ reporter by the Rev John Takle, who was a missionary in India for nearly thirty years, and who knows the conditions of life in India. Strikes, accompanied by riots, were common occurrences in India, said Mr Takle. This last outbreak seemed to be more serious than usual, but it was unlikely that the trouble would spread. India was so vast a country that outbreaks and riots in various districts had little or no effect on other parts of the country. The economic difficulties that had arisen so often since the war were attributed by Mr Takle to the fact that over a million men had been sent from India to the European front during the war. Few people realised how many natives had left India. Many of them had gone as workers; others as soldiers. When these mien returned to India their whole outlook on life was altered. They demanded higher wages, better working conditions, shorter hours, etc. As a result strikes became frequent, and riots generally followed the strikes. There was little Bolshevik influence behind the strikes and riots. The secret service in India was the finest in the world, and Bolshevism was not given much latitude. There was a strong anti-British feeling manifested among the natives, but this antagonism was directed more against the British Government than the British themselves. The general attitude of the natives was that the Government was too slow and too unprogressive for a country like India, which was making remarkable progress. Given considerate treatment, the natives were themselves considerate.