THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1907. LOYALTY OF INDIAN PRINCES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8533, 11 September 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1907. LOYALTY OF INDIAN PRINCES.

| An interesting- letter, written by J Gangs Singh, Maharajah of Bikanir, | is published in the London Times. I In this he declares the loyalty of himself and "my brother princes and chiefs" to the British Kaj, and protests against the contrary insinuations made by Blackwood's, Magazine. The writer says of the ruling princes of India: —"Their loyalty io us is, naturally enough, begotten of self-interest; it is absurd to speak of it as patriotism, because, however I much we may try to disguse the fact, ! our Empire in India is not an Indian, j but a British Empire. Satisfactory as our existing relations with tie princes of India may be, therefore, and fully as they may recognise the justice of our rule, it is hard to believe that, if at any time of crisis in our fortunes they should see a reasonable chance of throwing off our I yoke and of establishing an indeI pendent federation of native States, } devotion to the British Crown would them instead to stand by us." "This very sweeping assertion," replies the Maharajah, "cannot, in my opinion be termed anything short j of a gross libel on the princes and j chiefs of India, as it is undoubtedly one which does them the greatest injustice. Indeed, the writer could hardly have made a more inaccurate statement if ha had deliberately tried to do so, or one for which there certainly existed less justification. Though originally it may have been self-interest, something has brought the native States into line with the British government of India, and certainly developed it at the present day into real devotion to the King and His Royal House. The word "patriotism' is, perhaps, difficult to apply to a huge continent like India, but !

my brother rulers and I, though we may not be called patriots in the strict sense of the word, are absolute loyalists all the same—which is the chief point here under discussion." The Maharajah continue s—"ln spite of the dismal forebodings of halfinformed writers, there cannot be any doubt at all that when the crisis comes, if it should' ever come, the princes of India will not hesitate to throw in their lot with the British, and do everything in their power to keep His Britannic Majesty's flag flying in India."

A SWEEPING RESOLUTION. At a meeting of the Masterton Borough Council, held last evening, it was resolved—"That the staff connected with the departments of the Town Clerk and Engineer receive three months' notice terminating their engagements with the Council." Those who voted for the motion \vere the Miyor (Mr J. M. Coradine) and Crs Pauling, Haughey, Pragnell, Prentice, and Yarr, and those against Crs Ewington, Morris, Temple and Elliott. The meeting was called for the express purpose of considering the question of reorganising the Borough staff—presumably the entire staff—and this was done, apparently, in the opinion of those who supported Cr Yarr's motion, by the wholesale dismissal of all the officials connected with the departments of the Town Clerk and Engineer. The proceedings in question a~e fairly fully reported in another column, and from that report it will be seen that no argument justifying the drastic step taken was adduced. Cr Yarr said that he did not wish to cast any reflection upon the officials concerned, and we accept his word for that, but it is obvious, since no fault can be found with the dismissed official?, that it became the duty of those supporting- the motion to show conclusively that it was in the best interests of the Borough that the drastic proposal should be given effect to. Yet was not a single comparable statement of a financial nature forthcoming. It was not shown that the cost of the Masterton Borough staff was excessive compared with the staffs of other towns of a similar size. Reorganisation may be necessary, and the Borough Council should know whether] it is necessary or not, but we have always thought that there was some differercj between reorganising a staff and dismissing it holus-bolus. In the case of the Town Clerk the action of the Council amounts, almost, i to a cruel and unjustifiable insult. | For thirty years past Mr Brown has been the Town Clerk of Masterton; he is recognised as being a most able official, and he enjoys the confidence of the burgenses to a wonderful extent. W.j uhall not comment any further upon the present occasion, but will conclude by remarking that the resolution passed by the Council, last night is, to our mind, indicative of poor administrative ability, to say the least.