SWADESHI.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 288, 29 August 1908, Page 5

SWADESHI.

FAILS TO PREVENT INCREASE OP IMPORTS, (ill TBLEaairn—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COrTRiatIT.) Caloutta, August 27. Despite the Swadeshi movement in favour pf the boyeptting of foreign, especially English, goods, imports into British India during thp past year wore 20 per cent, aboyov those of the previous year, The yalue pf cotton imports increased 17 per cent, THE BOYCOTT AND THE COTTON TRAPE, The three popular movements which were so'much in evidence in India last year werfl thus defined by Mr, 1- W, Wilson ;-Kl) "The Swadeshi movement, which nominally sought fo encourago Indian nianufaetures by forbid' (ling the use of British imported goods, but which was rather aimed at the Mohammedan merchants and shopkeepers, the special objects pf Hindu detestation, who happened to hold largq stocks of British wares; 72) The Swaraj movement, wliieh demanded Home Kulo for Indiaj (8) the''National Volunteer' movement, which, consisted in-the-organisation and train' )ng of sepij-inilitary bodies of Babus and Hindus,- " They drilled with stipks/sn.d bows arid arrows, and pervaded tho provinces of Bengal and Eastern Bengal,' 1 Swadeshi has varying forms and degrees, and has. pocasionftlly developed into boycott with violence, Acpprdjng. to. the pahlegrami' the imports Jnto Britjau India have increased by 20 per pent., notwithstanding Swadeshi, and the i'm-; ports of ppttpn • gpods have jnoreased by 17 per cent, l'ha position with regard to cotton is especially, interesting for in this, direction Swadeshi is being exercised in the interests of 'an industry already' naturally favoured. Next tp the United States, India is the greatest producer of raw cotton j and with abundant raw material, cheap labour, wprking long hours, and a &wadeshi movement ope might expect Indian cotton goods to oust the Lancashire article,. But as a recent writer remarks, "neither wages nor hours alono can form a basis for comparing British and Indian labour posts. Five or six times as many hands are needed in Indian spinning mills, and three times as manyun weaving sheds, to produce the same results as in England. The-Indian mills have an advantage over those of Lpii' pashire in that the raw material is produced at Homo, so that freights, commissions, and pther charges aro much diminished, But they have to pay more for machinery and stores,Interest on oapital. ia higher, fuel is dearer, and stilled labour is scaroo. Moreover, tho directors often laok technical and commerojal experience, with the result- that business la sometimes ill-organised,"

Lancashire, in spite of her own labour troubles, continues to send pottqn 'goods to thp country' that grows tho cotton and that parades its Swadeshi; and India in turn sends Jier cheaply-made yarns into the cheap market of China, where they compete with Japanese,