The Wanganui Chronicle. MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 1935. GREAT EXPERIMENT IN INDIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 181, 5 August 1935, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle. MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 1935. GREAT EXPERIMENT IN INDIA

nVDi-; long journey along- the road to Indian Constitutional 1 Reform has been completed. It began over seven years ago with the departure of the Statutory Commission for India. The three Round-table Conferences, the historic White Paper, the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, and the introduction of the India Bill—each in turn has marked another advance, towards the goal, 'that has now come into sight with the Bill s emergence into the full status of an Act. The receipt of the Royal assent in the House of Lords will deservedly become one of those historic incidents in the story of the British Empire, for it sets the seal on a great constitutional experiment vitally affecting a commonwealth of nations and directly involving the welfare of the 350,000,000 people of India and Burma. The magnitude of the task involved in adding this recordbreaking Act to the Statute Book has been indicated by the strength and diversity of the opposition with which Sir Samuel. Hoare aud his colleagues have been faced. Both at Home and in India the points of view on the many issues raised have been legion, but prolonged and often wearisome as the approach has been, the obstacles raised have been set aside, and a vast constitutional scheme which makes something of a compromise at Horne and calms the apprehensions expressed by some of the Princes, has been evolved. But through it all the essentials of the Bill have stood, and those who framed it may be justly proud of the solidarity of their work. So strong was the combined opposition to the Bill that for a long time it seemed doomed, but its continued survival came to be accepted, until with the passage of the Bill through Parliament the Conservative Opposition led by Air. Churchill is found lighting a continuous rearguard action. While this section of the Conservatives continually condemned the dangerous prodigality of the measure, the Labour Opposition continued to take the contrary view ami to accuse the Government of coneeding too little; but the main structure of the Bill has stood, until to-day the result reflects credit on the Government and enhances the prestige of the British Parliament.

The practical application of the Act lies with the future. Early this year the Indians themselves began to realise that the Bill would duly reach the Statute Book, and although they believe that nothing has been done to liberalise the scheme in accordance with their demands, they have come to accept the position as inevitable. Political developments throughout India show that a definite movement is afoot to consolidate party positions and meet the situation which will arise when the new legislature is in existence. The Liberals proposed to organise the electorates, the Madras Justice Party is being- urged to adopt a comprehensive social and political programme, and the Zamindars (landholders) in the United Provinces and other areas are endeavouring to give greater coherence to their political policies. The Congress leaders are occupied in buttressing their status in the country, and in this party there are indications that the right amf left wing elements will fight, each other for supremacy. Such activity indicates acceptance of the new constitution, and gives reasonable grounds for hopes that the gieat Indian experiment will be given a fair trial. The Empire, and for that, matter the world ai large, will watch with interest the next developments in the launching of the scheme. All parties concerned in the welfare of India had come to recognise that some plan for a new constitution was essential, and a moderate viewpoint of the new Act, which reserves for the administration of the Governor-General, in his discretion, the subjects of defence, external affairs and ecclesiastical affairs, is that it is a cautious and safe advance towards Indian self-government.