INDIAN PROBLEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1931, Page 6

INDIAN PROBLEMS

CONFERENCE GOES ON. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 16. The Prime Minister received communications yesterday from several representatives of delegates to the Indian Round Table Conference bearing on his offer to undertake a settlement of the Communal problem if all of, the parties requested linn to do so, and if .they all Undertook to abide by his decision. The group headed bv Pandit Maliviyu -requested the Prptic Minister t<j 'arbitrate on these terms .on the issue' as affecting the Hindus, Moslems, and 'Sikhs.

Mr Gandhi explained that his nonsignature to this letter did not mean .that ‘the /Indian National Congress would in any way resist the Prime Minister’s award. It would approve of any solution that was acceptable to those three parties. As to the other minorities, their case should be settled by agreement among their representatives a,nd, the other members 61 the Conference. An unqualified acceptance o< the Prime Minister’s abitration was noti. jfied in a letter signed by a group of ten headed by Sir S. Sastri. q’he Moslems were appealed to yesterday by Sir Cliimaiilal “etalvad and others' hg (accept Mr MacDonalds offer. The 4 Moslems said that if sinrilal support .’were forthcoming from all of the other’ groups, they would agree, but they had; iio intention of leaving aside the smaller minorities with whom they had negotiated an agreement as published last Friday. Mr Gandhi held conferences with various groups during the week-end, and he had interviews with Lord Irwin, and later with the Secretary for India,., who subsequently met tlie - Nlus ‘ lem. delegates. Mr Gandhi was in consultation f<»' three hours with the leaders of the Moslem delegation, who declined to withdraw from their pact with the, other minorities. The Federal Structure Committee has authorised the chairman, Lord San key, to present to a plenary session of the Conference reports on federal structure, finance, and the federal court. The position of the Conference took a more hopeful turn to-day. It now seems certain that a final plenary session will not take place this week. There ore three questions upon which the delegates’ views have not been expressed, namely, the arms and external affairs, commercial discrimination and finance. These are now under discussion in the Federal Structure Committee. -This ..favourable development was made possibl|.by response to an apY>e;tl by Lord Sankey at to-day's meeting, supported by. Lord Reading, Mi Wedgwood Beiin. The Prime Minister, Mr MacDonald, emphasised the Government’s very strong desire to hear an expression of the delegates’ opinion. 'He understood that- there was some reluctance on the part of the Committee as a whole to discuss these questions until a commun:ai settlement had been achieved. The position could, however, be safeguarded by. making it clear that the delegates .speaking with all reserve pending the settlement of other, matters. 1 he. Government would be very disappointed, indeed, if these subjects were not discussed.

After an adjournment, during which the Moslem delegation wm> consulted, Mr Jinnah said that he had been authorised to agree to a discussion with a reservation that until the Moslems’ demands and safeguards were incorporated in the constitution, it would not be acceptable to them. Sir Muhammed Shaf'i endorsed this view and Loi'd Sankey congratulated them on the conciliatory spirit snown.

Doctor Ambedkar, on behalf of the Depressed Classes, agreed to the proceeding with the discussion, subject to a similar reservation.

Sardar Rijjal Singh and. Mr Gavin ,Tones also agreed that the working oi the Committee should proceed uninterruptedly in the hope of reaching an agreement on the most difficult problem later. The chairman then called on Sir lej Sapru to speak on army and external relations. This discussion proceeded, and will be continued to-morrow.