INDIA & BURMA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 June 1940, Page 5

INDIA & BURMA

AN EMERGENCY BILL EXTENSION OF VICEROY’S POWERS. PURELY TEMPORARY MEASURE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 26. The India and Burma Emergency Provisions Bill was passed through all its stages in the House of Commons. The Secretary for India and Burma, Mr L. S. Amery, said it was, in the main, a measure for overcoming difficulties which might arise in the event of an interruption in communications between Britain and India. As a purely temporary measure the Gov-ernor-General would be enabled to take action himself in such a situation. Mr Amery explained particulars of the application of the Bill to Burma. While the Bill had no constitutional significance, it had considerable urgency in the present circumstances. It in no way prejudiced development toward the constitutional goal which had been affirmed and reaffirmed again and again by the British Government. The Bill, he said, included a provision of importance enabling the Government of India to conscript European British subjects as it already had competence to do in the case of Indian British subjects. It is understood that some announcement of the Government of India’s .intentions in this respect is shortly to be made in India. It is also understood that there is no intention at present of introducing compulsory service for Indians.