CONFERENCE ON INDIA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1039, 1 August 1930, Page 9

CONFERENCE ON INDIA

GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE STATED IN HOUSE QUESTIONER DISSATISFIED licit ish Official Wirclcst Reed. 1.10 p.m. RUGBY, Thursday. In the House of Commons this evening, Sir Austen Chamberlain said he had intended to make a further appeal to the Government regarding its decision not to invite representa:ives of the Statutory Commission on India to be delegates at the round-table conference, but this morning he had received a letter from Sir John Simon. Chairman of the Commission, which altered the situation. In it Sir John said he would have welcomed the opportunity tc» serve on the conference had the Government so wished, but the Prime Minister had stated there were very strong reasons which made it undesirable. “Of course, it will be difficult for the Commission's report to receive fair or adequate treatment in a conference which includes no one who can either expound our recommendations with authority or explain, on behalf of the Commission, the considerations or the evidence, which must be weighed before criticism of the report can be regarded as well founded.” the letter stated. “But I can well understand that, by this arrangement, it is hoped to attract to the conference some Indian elements which might otherwise be unwilling to come."* PRAISE FOR COMMISSION Sir John added that opportunity, however, would remain even for the Commissioners to take part in the discussions which must follow. Sir Austen Chamberlain warmly praised the tone of the letter, and said that obviously he could now make no further appeal to the Government to reconsider its decision or the consequences of such. The Government would be whoUy responsible. He paid a warm tribute to the services of the Commission. The Secretary for India. Captain Wedgwood Benn. associated the Government with this tribute, and said the Government’s decision was based on the simple grounds that at the round-table conference the British delegates would meet Indian delegates with an open mind. The work of the Statutory Commission was done and its conclusions presented. The conference would consider them among o€her matters. The absence of the Commissioners from the conference was, be contended. a perfectly natural and proper thing. EARLIER DISCUSSION The subject of the round-table conference was raised in both Houses of Parliament yesterday. In the House of Lords the Marquess of Reading, supported by the Conservative Leader, the Marquess of Salisbury, asked the Government to give effect to the urgent representations made yesterday that Sir John Simon, chairman of the Indian Statutory Committee. should be invited to be a member of the conference. Earl Russell, Under-Secretary of State for India, in replying, said the question and those involved in it had been exhaustively considered by the Government in consultation with the Government of India. The commission had performed its task with distinction, which would secure for its report a prominent place in official political literature. The commission had presented Its findings to Parliament. The Government was confident that the representatives to be selected would be able to secure from the conference the fullest possible examination of every proposal brought before it, and that every opportunity would be taken to obtain the most expert and well-informed advice wherever it was to be found, and that it would be available for the Government and Parliamentary representatives. SERVICE OF COMMISSION In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, read a reply, couched in similar terms, to a question asked by Sir Austen Chamberlain who, however, said the answer hardly met his point. That was that the chairman of the commission should be present at the conference so that his services could be made available to the delegates. The Leader of the Liberal Party. Mr. Lloyd George, said he understood from the Prime Minister that the Government had left itself open to summon anybody who had expert knowledge of the matters to be considered by the conference, in order to aid the delegates in coming to a decision. He understood that the Indian Legislature probably would be represented by those chosen by both Houses to examine this very grave problem. ADVICE FOR DELEGATES Mr. MacDonald said that raised a totally different point- If the conference wanted advice, and asked for it, that advice would be forthcoming. If the British delegates wanted advice they would get it. How it was to be provided was a matter on which he had not had time to go into details. The conference would not meet until November, after the Imperial Conference, said the Prime Minister, but he wanted to make it perfectly clear that the Government had come to a definite decision that it would not ba advisable to have other categories of delegates than those mentioned yesterday and today. Sir Austen Chamberlain then asked for an undertaking that if any of the delegates desired the presence of members of the commission, their services, not as members, should be available within the conference. The Prime Minister said he declined to go further than the considered statement he had made.