A CRISIS INEVITABLE.

Wairarapa Age, 16 March 1922, Page 5

A CRISIS INEVITABLE.

IN INDIAN AFFAIRS. COMMENTS ON PRINCE’S VISIT. (Press Association—Copyright.) (Received 7.10 p.m.) Delhi, March 14.—A special press representative with the Prince, revic' - 1 ing the .tour and the present position of affairs, says that the arrest of Gandhi and the resignation of Mr Montagu overshadowed the closing scenes of the Prince’s visit, fn official circles—civil and military—hope has again arisen that the Government has at last determined on a firm policy of suppression of rebelion, the protection of loyal Indians, and the sweeping away of the atmosphere of suspicion and uncertainty poisoning all services. He hears on. all sides such expressions as “We are in for an explosion when the Prince leaves. Let us get it over, clear the air, and end the uncertainty paralysing all official and commercial India. ’ ’ He declares that a crisis is inevitable, and urges the need for dealing firmly with the Gandhist agitation. He stateis that the Prince’s tour bus not influenced the political situafion one way or the other, and that it is idle to assert that the Prince’s person ality has been felt by the majority of the people. The Prince has seen little or nothing of the bulk of the natives, the precautionary measures for his safety preventing free intercourse .with them. It was a mistake to think he had won a single convert from the Gandhist movement.

The correspondent points out that the Prince’s passage through the Britishgoverned portion of the country was characterised by boycotts (varying in extent) and rioting in Bombay and Madras. The Prince acquitted himself in his delicate difficult task with characteristic tact, and made the right impression on the natives rulers. It had been suggested that if he had been permitted to go openly through the. bazaars, even during the hartals, it would have caused a reaction of feeing in his favour on the part of the impressionable natives, who would have acclaimed him as a popular hero; but the writer is unable to sayhow far this assertion tis justified. The tour, however, had in no sense been a failure, and the correspondent cannot see how, under the circum stances, it could have been a great-ex success.—(A. and N.Z.)