INDIA’S STATUS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1925, Page 4

INDIA’S STATUS.

ANGLO-INDIAN JO CRN A L.I ST’IS VIEWS. AECKLA.NI), Align-.t 17. tine is reminded ol the w ide diversify of interests of the Empire by the jjiVM'iiHß :tiin> iijj; iii(* tk 1 legates umv ing through Auckland to the Imperial Dress Congress in Melbourne, of representatives from India. Malta, anti tin- Bahamas. 'The Indian delegates are Mr Arthur Moore, of the ‘'Statesman'’ Cakulta. and Mr 11. Smiles, of the Rangoon “Gazette," Rtiimah. A reporter had an interesting talk this morning with Mr .Moore, who, before In: became associated with the ”,Sliesnian” as director and member of ihe editorial stall, was foreign ;*nd war correspondent, ot "I lie limes, London. lie has travelled extensively in Lite Balkans. Albania, and Persia. Mr Moore’s long knowledge ol India lends particular weight- to his views on tile present complex problems ol that part of tho Empin.-. He is not at- all pessimistic al’otti our future there, and from a commercial point of view his remarks are most reassuring. He thinks that British interests are tally holding their own in trade matters, and that fifty years hence wo will he doing oven lielt'-r. ‘•Swaraj.’’ or home rule, does not sound hall so pessimistic a .subject when Mr .Moore discusses it. as when otic reads of it in some of the contemporary journals. , "'The great problem." said he this morning, "is the working out of tho Montague Chelmsford .Vt. which was passed in .1919 and was largely promoted by the deeds of Indian soldiers. During the Great War there was a Strung lei'ling at. Home that something must l-i- dene ior .India ill the will nt all advunee towards Dominion status, for the wonderful part she had played in tin- war. The trouble, is that I lie Indian politician does not appreciate the fact that this advance was not won by him at all. Imt by the Indian soldiers who (might lor the Empire. These politicians are apt to think that they can win concessions by fighting, as it ".ore, against the Empire, or h.v some form of moral intimidation hut at the same time tin- situation has enormously improved. I was out in | India for ‘The Times' in 1922. at the Lime the Gliandi movement was at its height, anil 1 can confidently say Ena: to-day the situation is one hundred pot 'cent, better than it was three years j ” Nt > N-C (.)-() 1 1 E RAT'D )N. I '‘The non-co-operation movement is. i in my firm opinion, absolutely dead,” .'continued Mr Moore. “All the promises Jof immediate suaraj. or home rule, ! which were made by two sanguine lnl dian politicians five years ago. have 'proved false. Gliandi gave dates when homo rule would he an acenmplixhci 'la t. hut all these dates have long passed by, ccnsequentiy no one any longer believes the elTuaev of the Gliandi method. Gliandi himself. I'm the purity of whoso life I have, the highest respect, lias come out of prison a very much altered man, and is sulleifing Inin genera! diisillttsioinneul with the non-co-operation programme. I had a most interesting conversation with Mr C. I!. Das. Bengal leader, last spring. liefuru lie died, in witch lie also expressed the same pout of view. He said he was willing to co-operate in working the Act. and subsequently ma le the same offer publicly. BRITAIN'S WISE I’OLK’Y. "'The British in India have very wisely played with a straight hat,” said l Mr Moon-, wlnm asked how he summed up the pO'itiou to-day. "They have not gone in or a policy of reaction because of non-: -n-nperution. nor have they been intitnidated into making any further concessions before the time is ripe. Consequently, Indian politicians fare more and more realising that the Montague reforms are a reality, and do give them immense political powers. One unfortunate result of this is to increase tho tension between the Mussulmans and Hindus. In time, however. [ am confident that they will learn to accommodate their political ambitions, though the time is far distant when they will cease to regard themselves as separate communities. One noteworthy thing is that for all large Imperial purposes India now possesses Dominion status, for she has her High Commissioner, is a signatory to all treaties, and takes part in all discussions at the League of Nations. Ihe best testimony to internal roJroTns in India is the fact that the extreme diehard attacks them as having gone too far and the extreme dicIndiatt politician declares that they don't go nearly far enough. Actually, they are producing excellent results, and training the Indians in Parliamentary life.”