AN INDIAN PRINCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1925, Page 4

AN INDIAN PRINCE.

VISIT TO DOMINION’,

AUCKLAND, July 0. Kntiiled in liis oxvn country to a salute of tbit teen guns, bis Highness the Malmrnj Rann Bhnwaiii Singh Bahadur, of Jhalawar. the first ol tho primes of India to visit those shores, walked unostentatiously ashore this morning from the Aorangi. by which ship he arrived from Sydney, Ihe Ma hit raj is on a health trip, and, prior to coming to Xew Zealand, he spent two months in Australia with his parti*, which consists ot LieulenantColo’H'l Bonn (Administrator of los State). Mrs Bonn. Mr A. Khan, \and Dr. I’ermanaud Bhatia (|diysi< iani. lie will timr the Dominion as tho guest of the Government. He will .spend a lew days in Auckland and "ill then visit Rotorua. Hamilton. To Ktiiii, and the Waii Miio < iivt*s. Lator lie will proceed in Wellington; t lienee to Christchurch and Dunedin,

lli- Highness was delighted with his tour of Australia. He went from Fremantle to Brii-bane overland, taking two months on the trip. He visited the various States and was the guest of land Strailhrokc in Melbourne. Sir .Matthew Nathan in Queensland and Sir William Campion in West Australia. In Sydney he was the guest of the Government, and then he went to Tasmania, where Sir James O'Grady the l.ahmtr man. is Governor. “Wo found him a .splendid follow.” said Cob.no! Bonn, adding that tlie Commonwealth Government wa- very hospitable.

The Muhnraj "as greatly impressed with the va-liie’t.s of Australia ami with the "newness'’ ol il compared to lii- own verv ancient country. He was specially impressed xxilh the industrial development of the Comnionxxoalth. The visitor is a keen agriculturist uml is most anxious to gain from his lour as much as possible that "ill bo of henelit to bis own State, which has an area of about I (lilt I M|iiaro miles and a population of about IOIi.UIO. Tract ieallv all of the people arc engage.! in agriculture, lint they have iiiisl primitix’e methods. Did wooden ploughs uilh steel ends are still il-cii. with bullocks to draw them. “The pc 'pic ol Delia are a i niiservativc lot.'’ said Colonel Bonn. “Seeing is believing with I hem. so the Maharaj is going to try and introduce new things to them to show them what can he dine with modern implements and the like." In Australia the Trineo xx as astounded hv merino sheep, which lie saw for th" first time, and he is taking some hack to India, with him as an experiment. He hopes that they "ill do well there, but lie is not certain that they "Hi stand the heat. However. the animals which lie is taking ate from Queensland, xxlicrc the heal is more like that of fmlia than is that of any ether sheep country. In India the sheep on the plains arc. lo quote the colonel, “miserable little things." The .Maharaj is now anxious io sec tim Non Zealand animals, of "hick lie has heard much, lie xxill visit the Ruakura Stale Kami, amongst other place.-, and will incidentally look into the dairviiig industry, of xvhich hi' ha-, not yet seen anything. The Maharaj "as horn in IST I and was educated at, Mayo College. AjiUi'ie. During 1!)?, 1 and 1022 he was a reseat eh -indent at New f 'ulh'g:'. Oxford, end it tai there that he I'outractcd the very serious iHic-s from xxhich he is no", making a good ri'envery. He has been ro.-pnnsiM ■ for extending education in his State by establishing many now school-, both for hoys anil girls. !1,. built the Kcmha M TnMio Library and the ('olxvin Girls' School, and introduced many useful reforms, including the granting of legislative lights to hi- pi'of le. Headers of Kipling "ill know the importance attached to the llring of snlot"s to Indian potentates, tank being indicated by tin* number i,| gun- which he receives. ’I hoy run front iiin >to nineteen in odd numbers, a “niiicli'i'ii gunnel'’’ being ol the higln-1 rank. Before the war the Maharaj of .Ihala'Var xxa- entitled t" eleven guns, hut he was given ; x-o more for lii- g aid services during the lighting period.