THE AMRITSAR AFFAIR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3534, 23 July 1920, Page 5

THE AMRITSAR AFFAIR.

RACIAL CLEAVAGE IN INDIA

ARMY COUNCIL'S DECISION. LONDON, July 7. Replying to Sir William Joynson Hicks, in the House of Commons, with ■regard to General R. E. H. Dyer, comm'andeVof the troops in the Amritsar riots, Mr Winston Churchill, Secretary of "State for War/announced thtat the Army Council, after considering the 'report of the Hunter Committee and a statement by General Dyer, had concluded that despite the great difficulties of General Dyer at Jallianawallahbagh in April, .1919, he could not be acquitted of an error of judgment. The Army Council had accepted the decision bf the Commanden'-in-Chief in ludia not to employ General Dyer any further in India, said Mr Churchill, and it was considered that further employment should not be offered him outside of India. (Cries of "Why?" and "Shame!") Mr Churchill said that in view of all the circumstances the Army Council felt that it was not called upon to take further action.

Brigadier-General Page Croft asked that General Dyer be employed in the operations in Afghanistan.

The Speaker said that notice should be given. The result of the Amritsar discussion in the House of Commons has been received in India with mixed feelings. Almost all the Europeans still oponly sympathise with General Dyer, while the Indians just as largely execrate him.

The discussion has generally increased racial .feeling, and press opinion generally follows the racial cleavage. Indian feeling is still strongly against Sir Michael O'Dwyer. late Lieut.-Gov-ernor of the Punjab, who expressed approval of General Dyers' action, and English interest is largely concentrated oti General Dyer. The general attitude of the Secretary of State for India. Mr. E. E. Montagu, and the Secretary of State for War. Mr Winston Churchill, appears to be bitterly resented by the majority of tlie European residents in India. Many military men are of the opinion that Mr Churchill's orders will make the position, almost impossible for the s-oblier avlio is called upon to repress civil disturbances in the future.

\t the same time, while in certain quarters there is a strong feeling of relief that the incident Jias been officially (lisp sd of. many English women in India are still insisting on some ~ ~rnition of General Dyer's services, which, they maintain, saved many of them from consequences too terrible to contemplate, and their attitude, though easily comprehensible .is only ad (line fool to the fire.

MISSING JAJANESE MAPS.

AMERICAN EXPLANATION

TOKIO, July 9,

The American) Charge) 'd'Affaires, replying to a request by the Japanese Foreign MinisteT p deliver up the maps alleged to have been stolen from the War archives, and sold to an American military attache, explained how the Embassy came into possession of the maps. These, it wa s stated, were Siberian maps, belonging to the Russian Imperial General Staff, and there was no evidence that they wore ever the property of the Japanese Government. They were offered for sale to the attache, who decided that they were valueless, and desired to return them to the man who offered them?

The American Charge d Affaires notified the Japanese Foreign Office of his willingness to return the maps to the vendor, or to his order, and he lequested the Foreign Office to give publicity to the text of the Note. This request was denied by the Japanese, and the. American Embassy is unable to publish the Note, because the publication would be actionable, on the grounds that the case is sub judiee. The Japanese press report the loss recently of some of the most valuable military maps from the Formosan headquarters, among them being maps of the fortifications of Pespadores. The press intimates that these went to the purchaser of the Siberian maps. An earlier cable message announced the arrest of a nephew of the famous Field-Marshal Oyama on a charge of selling strategic maps and files of the Survey Department .of the Japanese War Office to an unnamed foreigner for £4OOO. The police in a statement said that >Oyama was intimate with, a certain American and also a military attache at a "certain Embassy."- The police were reluctant to act, because of the high importance of the relatives and their honourable name, but were forced to do so by the seriousness of the offence. Other arrests were expected.