PRAISE FROM GERMANY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3130, 5 March 1909, Page 4

PRAISE FROM GERMANY

At a time when the unrest in India is giving rise to grave anixety, it is very interesting to come across a glowing eulogy of British administration of that country from the pen of a German, Count Hans von Konigsmauch, a major on the German

General Staff, has embod'ed in a book impressicma-of our rule in India, obtained during a recent tour. German methods of dealing with subject races are not oux*s, which makes the following tribute all the more noteworthy. The British official, he says, is absolutely honest, and possesses iron self-control. He is free-and-easy in his association with the natives, understands how to win their confidence, and is generally beloved. His is a "beneficent policy of en-

lightened government," which "waters the Indian deserts, assists the inhabitants in leading a peaceful existence, bestows the]; blessings of civilisation on the natives, and honojrs public services without distinction of race or colour." No red tape hampers his movements; his co'oriising which consists in his insight, his adaptability, arc! his tolerance, has full play. Great Britain, he declares, rules "not by fire and sword, not by brute force, 1 but soley by just and tolerant treatment of the native races by a bene-I ficial policy." His verdict on the native troops is very favourable. "They consist, physically and morally, of the best human material from which soldiers can be produced. Although the Sikhs, Gurkhas, Pathans, and Rajouts, are, perhaps, slightly inferior to the troops of Continental armies in tactical training, nevertheless their other military performances justify the fullest confidence being felt in their military efficiency. They would be able to take the field against European armies."