INDIAN CO-OPERATION

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1931, Page 3

INDIAN CO-OPERATION

DETAILS ARE STILL TO BE DEALT WITH.

(Official W'ireb'Bs.)

RUGBY, January 20

The cordial atmosphere which prevailed at the closing plenary session ol the Indian Conference is generally as a hopeful starting point for the further steps to be taken to give expression to tlie principles laid down The Prime M inister, in a speech preceding his reading of the- Government’s statement of policy, insisted that the contracts made during tlie weeks of conlerence must he maintained, ami the discussions must be continued in India, not only to determine how fat Indian opinion would respond to the proposal already made, but also to attempt to settle outstanding points. He could not state the precise plan by which the negotiations were to be continued. He proposed to have a conference with the new Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, who would arrive in England in a few days, and expressed the hope tlnv: in these discussions he might include Parliamentary colleagues ns well as Government colleagues. Referring to the appeal of Sir Tej Bnhaur Snpru for an amnesty for political prisoners, he said that if the appeal to India was responded to in India, and civil quiet was proclaimed and assured, the Government would certainly not be backward in responding.

EDITORIAL COMMENT The work' of conference is the subject of editorial comment in all the newspapers. “Tlie Times” says •- “The keynote of the whole statement made by t-he Prime Minister was obviously the sincere determination that the good work of the conference should go forward, that its committees should continue to co-operate, and. above all, that its spirit should persist.” The “Daily Herald” says—“ The Prime Minister’s statement offers responsible self-government which is surely that very substance of independence for which Ghnndi asks. Britain offers less: surely India asks no more. Surely the Indians will not- disregard that substance to struggle for the shadow. There is better hope for India’s future than there lias been for many wearv months. That is the supreme achievement of the conference.”

The “Manchester Guardian” says : “The conference has cleared the air, and the way is clear now to all that India wants. But the Indians themselves must- work at creating their independence, creating it in the sense of giving it form. The principle of independence is finished with, and details have become all-important to the Constitution, until Hiiidjii. Moslem, Sikh and Christian are satisfied that they have an adequate part in it. The Indian members of the Minorities SubCommittee must go hack determined, in the shortest possible time, to settle this problem of rival religions. TTiat will he a large step forward.” The “Daily Telegraph” says:—“The crucial stage of Indian co-operation has been opened in the enormous task of completing the edifice of the Indian constitutional reform It is a stage which at best cannot but be prolonged, and the end of it is quite impossible to foresee. But there has been a favourable beginning t,o that phase for which the Simon Com mission prepared the way.”

FAREWELL 1)1 NN ER. The Maharajah of Alwar, who leaves England to-day, presided over a farewell dinner which he gave last night to a number of delegates to the Round Table Conference and other guests. Lord San-key, replying to the toast of tlie Conference, said that i{ had achieved real success, and had only suffered one misfortune. There was a large body of educated and patriotic Indian opinion which they had not had the advantage of hearing. He deeply regretted that there were so many men now lying in Indian goals who would have been better employed at the Conference, and be trusted that they would see them tit future meetings.