INDIAN AFFAIRS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1932, Page 5

INDIAN AFFAIRS

PRESS COMMENT ON ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE. tr (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 27. Newspapers record with sat.sfa tion evidence of progress in the Indian pro Lem contained in speeches at the final: session of the Third Round Ta'ble Con-j ference on XmaS Eve, and with ' the I prospect held forth by Lord ’Sankeyl that the next s tags of the Government's’

programme, namely, the submission of a Reforms Bill to the consideration of a Joint Select Committee of Parliament may be reached in the sprjng. “The Times,” after complimenting

Sir S. Hoare and th® whole body of the delegates on the achievement, says: “It is true that on many points the delegates have not been unanimous, but what matters is that on most import-

ant questions a sufficiently large measure of agreement has* been reached to enable the Government to frame legislative proposals with a real understanding of what will be acceptable to the great body of Indian public opinion. •Regarding the character of the great difficulties with which the Conference had to deal, (“The Times” continues) there has been no question of merely resolving the supposed antagonism of the British and the 'lndian interests. Its business from the beginning has baen to plan a constitution, which should strike a balance not only between the claims of Britain and India, but also between thos e of BritishIndia arid the Indian States—between the interest of the literate class of the town s and the masses of thp countryside; between the claims of rival com- 1 munities, majorities in th ; s province, and minorities in that; and between th, e | higher -and the humbler castes. I

The “Daily Telegraph” says ; “The Government’s view that the conferment of self government on India is an object of British policy which must bo honestly pursued, under such safeguards as to provide aganst serious disaster, is the better mind of . the country, irrespective of party.” The • “News-Chronicle’ i says that the Conference has placed the good faith of the British Government beyond reasonable doubt, and adds; . “The next immediate .step to a real federation is with the Indian Princes. We hope that they will respond without delay to Lord Sankey’s urgent appeal.”

The “Morning Post,” which Apologises for introducing a jarring note into the Christmas carol that was sung with such goodwill by Sir S. (Hoare and other delegates, “is critical of the (usefulness of the conclusion which was reached in 'the absence of the Indian Congress representatives, and it says it finds the proposed safeguards to bo a “hollow mockery of the realities of power,”