3 JANUARY 1931, Page 6

The Conference must without further delay tackle the fundamental question

of responsible self-government, i.e., Dominion status, and leave the minorities problem to settle itself in easier circumstances. It is " up to " the British delegates to make a pronouncement on the vital question. If only the material of a Constitution is produced now, the Conference may yet be accounted a success, and no responsible Indian will quarrel with safeguards (either at the centre or in the. Provinces) which, in the words of the Begum Shah Nawaz, " will help and not hinder the development of a common Indian citizenship." The need is for some measure of agreement that may appeal to the Indian imagination, especially the youth of India. The Congress Party already shows signs of crumbling, and, as Mr. Alexander suggests in an article which we publish elsewhere, there is yet time to win over Mr. Gandhi and all but the extremists. * * * *