FULL DOMINION STATUS.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1929, Page 5

FULL DOMINION STATUS.

(Sydney Bulletin.)

It is understood that the Ramsay MacDonald Government is anxious to grant to India “ full Dominion status ” at an early date, which will put it on a level with Australia, Maoriland, Canada, and South Africa, in the matter of self-responsibility. This is presumably considered a Christian duty, Parliamentary institutions being regarded as of divine origin and tending to save the Labor party’s soul. Perhaps the Government won’t go the whole hog in the matter; but even the tail alone seems a serious, risk.

There are 30 languages in what is called India, counting only those wh'-u are more widely spoken than English. (Thirty, 'sets.of people vvho mostly don’t understand each other are something of a difficulty. 'There are seven or eight principal religions, and the iwo that are more principalthan the’ others, the Hindus and the Moinmrre-., dans, don’t speak to each other. The sub-division into castes tends 10 leave a really caste-ridden sect hardly speaking to itself. There are some 700 native princes Of exceedingly different gradations of importance, though ;il possessed of dignity, some of them to an uncomfortable extent. At len«t a quarter per cent of these mixed characters make a noisy demand for selfgovernment, but probably vm? fe>v crave for real Dominion status and »ho tremendous responsibility.it would imply, It would be rather like geirAug a large quantity of unfriendly cats into a room described as a Parliament House, and leaving them there to settle llicjr differences, after the long-established arbiter and keeper of the oeaaa had left the neighbourhood. For ihue can’t be true Dominion status wn*"vs the arbiter and keeper of the pence removes himself and his armaments ;nd other implements of interference. To hang round ready to burst m when the liberated people show themselves un'T for that kind of liberty would the illusion, and make the status a hollow pretence. The position involves an exceedingly mixed community which is wholly unused to representative government, and the most important sections of which get on best apart, especially on festival days. The happiest prospect for such a people is when there is a dispassionate foreign ruling element to mediate and when necessary to keep the, pits apart as -far as possible.