BRITISH PROPOSAL

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1932, Page 5

BRITISH PROPOSAL

} FOR CONSTITUTION INDIAN PROBLEM CONSIDERED. (British, Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 27. An important declaration upon Indian constitutional piocedure was made in the Commons by. Sir S. Hbare. He announced that tne Government would endeavour to give efleet'! to then Indian po.icy by means ol a : single Bill, which would provide alike for tile autonomous constitution of the prov -inces and *or federation ■of the .provinces and States. They intended the.n this measure should •contain provisions enabling the provincial constitutions to be introduced without necessarily awaiting for the completion of tne steps required for the actual inauguration of federation.

Since it was an essential figure ot the Government’s policy cf Federation, which the Bill would construct, should be a federation of all India, it followed that the units concerned must be prepared actually to federate, and the proposals to be laid before Parliament to this end must be complete in all essentials. The Government was convinced that the matters had now reached a point which settlement of the important quest),onu remaining would only be delayed by formal sessions of large bodies. Expeditious treatment of these questions , would best he secured by a programme which though involving some variation in method, would secure the full collaboration, which had been the underlying principle uf the work accomplished hitherto. The Government would take the next step towards the removal of obstacles and announce the decision they had undertaken to give, on these aspects of the communal problem which now retard progress. They were now engaged in a settlement of the actual terms of the decision, and unless unforeseen difficulties intervened, hope to announce it some time during the present summer, on assumption that it was announced, on assumption that it removed obstacles which had been impeding progress, the Government hoped the committee discussions would make such progress that only a few specific problems would remain. For example- the financial safeguards which might appropriately be a subject for informal discussions in London, with n few individuals with special experience thereon. After such discussion, the Government would pass straight to the Pailiamentary stage. The Government considered that the final stage of Consultation with .Indian dpiniou, .conicl usefully take place only oil definite proposals. They therefore proposed to invite both Houses of Pni'llainont to set up a joint select committee bofore the introduction of the bill, thus facilitating Indian co-operation and ensuring its effective influence in what was probably the most important stage in shaping constitutional reforms, and before the irrevocable decisions had been reached by Parliament. By this procedure, the Government hoped for rapid progress of continued co-operation on the one hand, and the three British parties on the other.

MR CHURCHILL’S VIEWS. (Received this day at. 11.16 a.rn.)

LONDON, June 28

In the Commons Mr Churchill confessed that Sir R. Hoare had considerably reassured his earlier apprelien-’ sions that the forces of disorder had been restrained, but the constitutional programme was adding to the Secretary State’s difficulties, creating the very discontent and unrest, which required strong measures to allay. What could he a greater embarrassment to the administration than presently to bring out the Lothian repeat, declaring thirty-six million people were to lie enfranchised to return Congiessites to Pat lianienfc. The Lot ian repo t was only cheapest chop logic, crude, semi-ohs'olete, half c» crusted pi'ineiples of mid-Victorian radicalism. We decided not to follow the Roman model of divide and rule, but ought not to fall to the opposite extreme of combine and abdicate. Generally lie welcomed the Government’s decision which in the main has a return to the old Lord Birkenhead proposals.