The Dominion. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1911. ROYALTY IN INDIA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 16 November 1911, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1911. ROYALTY IN INDIA.

<i King George and Queen Maivy are now on their way to become tho central figures in a still more gorgeous ceremonial than that recently witnessed within historic "Westminster Abbey. The double coronations at Delhi will be distinguished by that customary display of Eastern opulence and barbaric splendour which, if not entirely absent from, is less conspicuous at, the State pageants of the West. No one will question the wisdom that dictated the Boyal visit to India at the present ' time, and the crowning next month of the Kino and Queen at Delhi. To the Indian mind the Emperor is. a-great and stately personality, at once the embodiment and the symbol of secular authority and power. It is moot, therefore, that he should appear personally, and in full State magnificence, surrounded by his high officers and the. ruling Princes of India within that ancient city, famous alike for its architectural glories and as the one-time capital of the mighty Mogul Empire. Eastern ways of thought are different from Western, hence it is difficult at times to understand and truly estimate Indian sentiment. It seems almost impossible for Englishmen, loyal as they are, to realise the profound veneration displayed by the Indian populace towards their hereditary Princes. That King Geouge and his Consort will be regarded wnii feelings _of loyalty and deferential admiration is sure. At the time when a Royal visit to India was still problematical, we find the Englishman, of Calcutta, writing: "Whatever of sedition there is in India would disappear as if by the touch of a magician's wand if the KingEmpehor came here in person." Criticism is frequently met with touching tho_ conditions under which a proportion of India's millions live. Too often, while the past of India i« overlooked, the true character and temperament of its diverse races remain _ unknown. The peripatetic politicians, more especially of the Radical school, have been no friends to India. Those who know India best arc the most satisfied with its present condition, and the least despondent concerning its future. The Kino and Queen this year will find India peaceful and prosperous. The seditious displays on the part of the comparatively few have ceased,and tho rains which fell during September over.wide areas removed almost entirely prevalent fears about the coming harvest. For reliable guidance as to India's position there must bo recourse to official figures, and the Indian Budget, placed recently before the House of Commons, supplies data of a kind both abundant and _ satisfactory. Indian finance is fruitful in surprises. Sometimes the surprise is agreeable; on occasions it is the reverse. Me. Montague, the Under-Secretary for India, delivered a most interesting speech, and the figures he laid before the House fully justified the heading in several London newspapers, "Prosperity of India." In March, 1910, the Government of India estimated a modest surplus-—an honest, bona fide surplus, that is, of £.376,000. The actual surplus amounted to £5,448.000. Mr. Montague explained that "tho better financial position of the Government of India was not due to increased burdens on the people, but was the indirect result of the favourable conditions, by which the general population benefited much more largely than the Government itself." The Indian Govemwas described as a vast commercial undertaking, as largely a partner in some of the more important enterprises of the country, such as agriculture, railways, and canals, and, in a sense, sharing with the people in the profits. It is this part which tho Government plays that makes budgeting in India so peculiar and difficult. Weather conditions and rainfall constitute the most important of factors in the lire of the vast majority of the inhabitants. In India 90 per cent, of the population are engaged in the cultivation of the soil. Failure of the harvest brings ruin to millions; and, on the other hand, success means overflowing coffers to the Government and widespread prosperity among the people. Happily the latter conditions prevail throughout most parts of India this year, when, for the first time, a British King is to be crowned there Emperor of India. I

India makes steady progress. Education is being more and more sought for, and facilities for the provision

of the same arc being rapidly increased. Tnio, the country witnesses occasional sporadic demonstrations, generally directed against the Government that preserves secure and intact tho privileges and liberties, probably the very lives, of the malcontents. But the great masses of the people are. docile, peaceful, and contented. They are poor, judged by Western standards, but their wants are few, and they seemingly possess large measures of contentment. A perusal of certain comments on Indian life too often leaves the impression that the critics desire to saddle Great .Britain with responsibility for the backwardness of portions of India's population. A short resume of the facts touching India's condition prior to the establishment of Dritish rule and the ultimate settling upon the country of pax lirUannica, might _ lead to clearer visions and saner judgments. The intelligent Hindus, Parsccs, and Mohammedans know and appreciate tile, great part Britain has played, ■and continues to play, in India. They realise that order and progress could not for a week bo maintained without the overshadowing prestige of Kino George. It is not so much the power as the mere prestige, the name, of Great Britain that obtains peace and prevents the oncoming of chaos south of the Himalayas. Turning to tho commercial and financial aspects of the country, expansion and steady progress are visible. Thus the exports of Indian merchandise were valued in 1008-9 at £100,000,000; in 1909-10, at £123,000,000; and last year.at £137,000,000. A rise of 37 per cent, in three years is noteworthy, more so when it seems permanent and is combined with a corresponding, though slightly smaller, nso in the imports. The cost of the Durbar and the review of troops at Delhi will entail no additional taxation on the country. In ten years, it is worthy of mention, India has paid off twenty-five millions sterling of her non-productive debt. This is proof that her rulers are proceeding with foresight, and with some degree I of interest in the future well-being of the country and its people.