“GANDHI IS NO SAINT”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 949, 16 April 1930, Page 11

“GANDHI IS NO SAINT”

CANADA’S GOVERNOR WOULD LIKE TO SAY MORE may speak later Reed. 11.5 a.m. VANCOUVER, Wed. “Gandhi poses as a saint, but there is nothing saintly about persuading his followers to break the law,” declared Viscount Willingdon, GovernorGeneral of Canada, in addressing a local service club. He was in India six years ago, when Gandhi tried the same thing. He wishes he was not Governor-General, so that he might say what he thinks about the Gandhi movement and the Snowden Budget. He hopes to return some time, when he may speak his mind freely. DELHI, Tuesday. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, President of the Congress, and Sen Gupta, Mayor of Calcutta, were today sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for violation of the salt laws and for reading in public extracts from seditious literature. Nehdu, who will he treated as an ordinary political prisoner, has appointed Gandhi to act as president of the Congress in his stead. SAVAGE RIOTING Savage rioting occurred in several parts of Calcutta today as a result of a “hartal” or day of protest in connection with the arrests of Nehru and Sen Gupta. Two tramcars were set on fire and three others were wrecked. The fire brigade was stoned by a mob and several firemen were gravely injured. In the main thoroughfare of the city a crowd of rioters hurled stones at passing trams and at motor-cars driven by Europeans, also at the police, who were forced to open fire. The casualties are not yet known. Auxiliary forces with armoured cars were called out and are now patrolling the streets, which were practically deserted at noon. In other parts of the city the traffic was held up by jeering crowds who dislocated the tram service by cutting the wires. STARTED BY GHANDI A British official wireless message from Rugby says the Secretary of State for India, Mr. YVedgewood Benn, was questioned in the House of Commons about the civil disobedience movement. He said it had been started by Gbandi and developed generally along the lines anticipated. Broadly speaking the defiance of the salt laWs had in itself not caused much trouble. Its real significance lay in the attempt to use it as a means of rousing public sentiment in India to a dangerous pitch. In one or two places public demonstrations had resulted in clashes with the police. The Minister said he had every confidence that the steps taken by the Government of India would be adequate to deal with the situation as is might develop.