INDIA AND EMPIRE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4874, 7 September 1925, Page 3

INDIA AND EMPIRE.

A BRIGHT OUTLOOK. Amongst the many distinguished journalists who recently visited Wellington was Mr Arthur Moore, direc : . tor and acting-editor of the Calcutta “Statesman,” India’s leading -newspaper. After leaving Oxford Mr Moore joined -the staff of the London “Times,” later being appointed Mid- ‘ : die Eastern correspondent for that journal. Mr Moore has had a varied experience in Persia, India, and Russia, and is said to be the only correspondent who has been to Kabul. In 1922, when the British Legation whs . established there for the first time 'since Cav.aganari was murdered in 1878, Mr Moore was with the British Minister when he celebrated the fact that he had outlived his predecessor, who was murdered after a few’ weeks’ residence. After a lengthy period of war service -Mr Moore rejoined the ■ "Times,” and later resigned to take . up his present position. ; “What struck me very forcibly on my arrival in New Zealand was, the fact "that you ■ had solved the race ! problem in such a satisfactory man- , ner,” he said, when interviewed. . “You have, the native r,ace living side by side with you on terms of complete respect and equality, a s,tate of affairs very different to that ..existing in India.”

Mr Moore has made a careful study ’" s of the political situation in India and offered some interesting observations bn the subject. Conditions were very unsatisfactory in 1921, he said, but in the middle of. 1922 a marked im- ' ' provement had been brought about, while the present position was hi- < finitely better than it was at the time Lord Reading was sent out. “Acting in a very statesmanlike mariner,” Mr .Moore continent!, “Lord Reading remained z entirely unmoved by the clamour of the npii-cooperationists who, while recognising that the Montagu Act conferred upon India a limited constitution, definitely persisted that it was a sham. He had also remained equally unmoved by, the cries of a small section of ‘diehards’ who contended that the Act went too far. He has made no concessions, and, Oh the other hand, has not been reactionary, and the Act has been steadily administered. The non-co-operation-ists boycotted the first election, with the only result that the first council was filled by co-operatibnists. The council displayed a considerable amount of-political ability ,and suc- . ceeded in making great changes in finance and legislation. This put the non-co-operationis.ts iii a difficulty, so that at the second election they stood as candidates, declining to co-operate with the council; that is to say, they practised a policy of political obstruction. Unfortunately for them,- although they did succeed in 1925 in —t making a demonstration against tlie Budget, the principal legislation of tlie year was to protect the iron and steel industry, which had been of great importance during the war, but had got into great difficulties during the post-war slump. As this industry was represented by a single firm that was entirely Indian, all the Indian Nationalists were anxious to secure \ protection for it. The hori-co-opera-tionists were forced to protest the industry, and therefore to co-operate. They have also not been able to. rer. s-ist the parliamentary atmosphere ? that exists at Delhi, and more and / more they have been dropping the policy of obstruction and behaving as intelligent politicians. This year the Budget was passed, and the pretence of non-co-operation was practically abandoned, except in Bengal and in the Central Provinces. In Bengal Mr - C. .R Das, who long remained an eloquent champion of non-co-opera- ? tion, finally abandoned it, and has since died. The movement died with him. The administration is far more favourable than it has been at any time since the war,” added Mr Moore, “arid it is my belief that the Act will / be carefully tried out. It is now much too early to make a further step towards the goal of Dominion status which h,as been sset up. The - Act laid down a preliminary period of z ten years, which will not expire until 1930 1 . Now that India has . got - over the fever of agitation which disturbed her when the Act was launched we should have a much better opportunity of seeing if the Act is a failure orTiot. It is much too early to say one way or the other, at present, but prospects are bright. There is „ no alarm in business circles, and the volume of British business, as well as the number of'English people, is increasing every year. I regard In- ' dia as. vital to the Empire. This is also the deep conviction of all the best Indians, and the Indian masses.”