The Press Friday, March 6, 1931. India.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20179, 6 March 1931, Page 10

The Press Friday, March 6, 1931. India.

Yesterday the hopeful r " ported from Delhi that Gandhi and the Finance Minister o£ the Central Government' lmd cached an agreement over the salt tax; it is followed to-day by ilr Wedgwood Benn's announcement o£, -the, successful "®m_ at Gandhi's convocations with the viceroy. Like the success of the RoundTable Conference, this is more than it had seemed possible to hope for,, and unless tbefe occurs now some setback, which it.is not easy to foresee, the news Cleans that the translation ot, the Round-Table agreement into work-, ing machinery should soon begin and before very'long be completed, Until the Viceroy's statement is released it may be assumed that Gandhi has accepted the terms of the agreement as the basis, of settlement, though there ate other leiss, likely possibilities, and that there is no chance of the Congress breaking away from behind him. If this is true, theh the difficulties that must still be overcome before the material planning and legislative work of building a new Dominion can -be carried 'Ont seem small by comparison, One of them is the devising of ways and °f bringing the Indian States severally into the Federation at pqge,Another is the difference, slight f .',it appeared to be, which still para ted Hindus and Moslems at the close pf. the Conference. Otherwise, the rough -draft of the new constitution was complete, and it is interesting to look back 1 at it again. At the Centre there wps to be responsible government, with reservations for the period of transition, The Viceroy was to control defence' and foreign affairs, to be independent' of the Legislature in securing their financial supply, and to nominate his own Ministers in those "Departments. In finance generally the Vicerpy, it was suggested, should have po>yer 'to intervene, if the policy pur/ giied* were damaging to India's credit. the Executive' would bo - I nominated and Avould hold power in 'thq%We-way\as the Ministry at Hogae, -afi, |he TYiU.pf ? Legislature,.of ?50 meiftbersjt there" would be ft spjalto Uffpej? Chamber, drawn partly from ptatps, partly from the Pro,vince? .British India. A Reserve jifiak wQ|ild * control currency, and oxchange' wd, unless the Viceroy sane--' the introduction of-an amending j .fajlUthe Currency ,would be ten from amendment. As Sir Jolin • democracies the yhited States, after ' 1 '.'long »cxperifenCe» •'< the principle of ft kesptytgibie Executive is not admitted. 4 %pha president nominates his Executive, .yifieh in power during

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W^cfo ß ?#/ °? r ' t#s#\ a£. jjoid't- M-which ;t}ui Afusete Bhoals~ project was going ito V e sty* W e «*ould put up filth thp ;^a?rter," , * ! '^yeri : i;#jfh'"'fh<?b{ private §tft|o i'n'mi»upl) < than tha, ard much ifo>por. To »ioi the-Slui«j; never compete# .it;aoss ' **< * ''life t>%f:.VPllcn:"i t $w culeretj

list of the rights of the public. When the current turns, it» cries out for the ■ protection of the law. The plotting and planning oC oiir Railway Departoent to get its Competitors legislated off the roads is merely a "glaring example at the conduct of every Government department when' under fire. Mr Hoover call, it "degeneration' when Government cuicials "barter m mar"kets" instead of preoccupying themselves with justice; but it is doubtful if even he knows how rapidly degeneration begins. We know in New ZeaTand that a Department never fights as a Department. It fights as .the State, and in the name of the people and of the public good. We all own the railways, we are told; or the tramways; or the post office, or the hydro-electric works, We must all, therefore, see the necessity and advantage of fighting to preserve their privjleges-r-even when > this means the privilege of making us pay ten, twenty, or fifty per cent, more for their services than they are worth. Who owns everything if it is .not everybody, the State monopolist never stops to explain* Wc all own everything, we all pay for everything, and if we choose to' pay directly instead of indirectly it should not be in the power of any Government official to interfere "in our own interests. We have gone too far in New Zealand \ to be able to turn back to where our best interests lie. But wo can at least resist further drifting and further encroachments on our liberties, and especially see to it that where the Government is in business it shall conduct its business on business lines, pay all charges and take all risks, and give up the habit of demanding protection in order to protect somebody who is not in danger. The Wages Cut. A special message to Thb Puess yesterday reported a resolution carried by a meeting in Tiinarn, protesting against the Prime Minister's proposed cut of 10 per cent. in . State wages and .salaries; and it would have "been difficult to ci'am a resolution tighter with .absurdities than this was. Lower relief pay wtis opposed; all reductions wore flfi* scribed as " unnecessary." The State was called on to "exercise a lajw of control ,iu. tbo national "finances," which is mysterious; and, the " existing exemptions Of the " wealthy from taxation" were denounced, which is meaningless; Bui the first, sentence of -the resolution a'point which is a.little more '• dangerous, because ,a, little , more 'speoionß« and advantage has already . Jieen -taktsn of it th&n once,'. It consists'in describing the proposed JO , jpep;cent. l redaction ag a "flat" il Tionf itotlying that as, much is to bo Si hi sh* 'i feind i,were inte^ded» '"UtWoSild dbvioupty be ernde l; 66ver,e, 'and, it f would obviously be fight it ''demand a t ''scale;;, On- the i contrary, Since public servants are paid on a \ graduated scale, a reduction of 10 per cent, all round is graduated accordmgly. A, salary at the rate of £ls 'ft ' week comes down ,30s; a wage b£ £5 - comes Sown lOs/ :If that .wmnftfc ' «graduation M it is-, to know 1 what gradn^tion'means, •It ia not .$> \ difficult, to guess.what vote- ' means; they protend that graduation i aotoidy ' Heed jpay for anything, except a few, 3 «fPrj«wayß pajhmQjrlmd tnorc,

Tins ib the pretence that has made N« w Zealand fopheavy 1% ltli the costs ot - services pad infected • politics "tojth the greftt cvil'of'bribery withta the law; but now that it has begun to medieinr itself through , ,its, ,op]y yery' or shameless people will hold thai the S" ady must bear a fair share of jfr smml saWiftoa.-; .Jt is»the gate's i duty t6' lead) and it- cannot fe&d more i fairly than, it has. (Jotie, _ The obliguof ipost wage- and salary-earners aro in direct proportion to their cUrnl Swcfe',reduction "iq 1 essential, the '< ijpiSy principle-isd. reduction also in direct proporfion, but; it -would bo quite simple to refer individual cases r af fptrapae hw'dsbfp to w independent arbitrator; per■hops( intends tbi§.' ' '1 ;t;X '/