INDIA DEBATE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1930, Page 5

INDIA DEBATE

IN Till! COMMONS

C()MPREHENSIVE STATE!PENT

BY MR WEDGKWOOD BENN

(British Official Wireless)

(Received this day at noon.) RUGBY, -May -23

The situation, in India was discussed' in tiie House cl’ Commons this evening, during the debate on the' India Office vote. Mr Vvcdgewood Bonn said despite newspaper headlines, a vast majority ol tiie Indian people in the ufiban areas and certainly in rural areas, pursued daily their avocations under 111.© be ncvolence of settled order oi Government. It is true that the governmental machine was designed by English hands, but it was to-day! mainly .operated by Indian hands, not only in- positions of high control but almost exclusively in its subordinate branches. Dealing statistically with some aspects of the national life, he said there were few countries in the world that in the matter o.f external trade, cotfd. give a better showing than India. Last year private trading merchandise showed an available balance of fifty-eight million pounds and in tli© four preceding years, the trade balance was equally' as good. As regards public expenditure, last year’s budget closed with a balance >n the right side, and although it was found that on theibasis of existing

taxation there would !bej. a deficiency, the Government of India, with the support of the Legislative Council presented a budget which would at any rate balance, and perhaps show a surplus. It would also maintain, in the eyes of the world the solid financial position in which India had always stood.

Last week the Government floated a loan of seven million pounds, which

was over-subscribed. Prices of Indian securities on the London market are higher now than it was on January Ist, despite all the events which had occurred in the meantime.

Although there was a large public debt in India eighty per cent was represented by productive assets. Remarkable progress had been made with the electrification of the railway. Twenty-eight million acres, or nearly thirteen per cent of the whole crop of India, had been (brought under irrigation, at a cost of 75 million pounds.

When the schemes now under ooru sruction were completed the total area under irrigation would be nearly fortv million acres. ‘

Regarding trade and the industrial position generally during the last twenty years, India’s overseas trade had nearly doubled. In agriculture, the number of members of co-opera-tive credit (societies had .increased from three hundred thousand to three and a half millions.

Those who rightly desired to uplift the peasant or industrial worker should not overlook the magnificent work carried on By Englishmen in co-operation with Indians, under the present constitution in India.

In the last ten years, more progress has lv-wm made in industrial legislation than in the preceding fifty years. Dealing with the development of relations between the Homo Government and the Government of India, Mr Bonn pointed' o"it the growth of self-government in British Commonwealths bad been carried out in various forms. The Government of India was looking more and more for approval and support of the legislature and Indian public, opinion, for a really effective lasting growth of a measure of self-government. The military force in India consisted of an army, air force and marines and there bad been no material chanige in strength since it was reorganised after the war.

Proceeding, Mr Bcnp alluded to the recent disturbances which had been confined to urban districts, and generally speaking, the Mohammedans had bold aloof. The disturbances might bo described accurately as

sporadic, rather than general. In some recent resolutions passed by the Congress working committee at Allahabad, a proposal was made (bat these disturbances should be expended. So ftir .tlio 1 resolution had not been put into effective force, and it was not the intention of the Government that they should be permitted to be made effective.

Referring to the position, in the north-west frontier province, and in tribal areas, lie said that since the April disturbances, Peshawar bad been quiet and normal life bad been, or was being resumed, but outside Peshawar the centre of disturbance was caused by a leader called Hadji of Turanga/.ai, and his son, who settled themselves in the bills north-east ol Peshawar. Action was taken against them and was proving effective.

On the whole, the tribal situation bad greatly improved. There had been no hostile 'movements of any Iribc- as a whole. Mr Bonn extended bis sympathy to th<. district magistrates and officers of local government and the Government of India in their difficulties and dangers and said that in this matter as in all others, there had never been between the Government and the Viceroy anything but relati ns of the warmest understanding: and strongest support. He looked forward to lli c day when India’s lib-