Letters to the Editor

[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief , as, is reasonably possible. , The -most

• suitable length is that of one. of our News of the Week" paragraphs.—Ed. THE Seecricroa.]

THE WHITE PAPER REPLY SIR MICHAEL O'DWYER

.[To the Editor of Tee Srec-rvron.] Sns,—Sir Michael O'Dwyer in The Spectator of June 9th dis- cussed the India White Paper from the point of view of one who played a prominent part in the administration of India in the first quarter of this century. He assumes that the advocates of the White Paper consist entirely of politicians and that its opponents are administrators. We who sign this letter have had recent experience of administration in India, as governors or acting-governors of provinces or in other positions of authority, and it is because we believe that good administration is impossible unless the general policy of the White Paper is adopted that we support it.

The essential fact today is that India has since 1914 become politically self-conscious. Western education, over a period of half a century, the effect on the Eastern world of such events as the Japanese victory over Russia, the Chinese Revolution, the participation of Indian troops in a European War, the resistance of Turkey to the European Powers, have combined with many other circumstances to 'produce among educated Indians (in the words of the Simon Report) " a demand for equality with Europeans . . . a greater share in the govern- ment of their country."

It is untrue to say that the masses are not interested in political issues. The motor 'bus and the cinema have altered their outlook tremendously. The influence exercised by the educated classes over the rural population and the labouring classes in the towns is infinitely greater than it was 12 years ago. Tliose who have not been in India during the past few years would hardly credit the extent and rapidity of this change.

Sir Michael and those associated with him say " We take our stand on the Act of 1919." There is nothing in the White Paper that is not consistent with that Act or with the outlook of its franiers. Far from ignoring the proposals of the Statutory csairisission, as Sir Michael states, the. White Paper accepts them in their entirety, so far as the, Provinces are concerned ; at the Centre, it proposes to concede a certain measure of responsibility, in view of the prospect of a Federation including the Indian States, which had not emerged at the time of the Simon Report, but which was contemplated in that Report M the goal to be aimed at. Sir Michael calls this Federation " nebulons," but the. White Paper scheme is not to be brought into foree until the Federation is an accomplished fact, and if is the business of the Joint Select Committee to lay down the conditions which will accomplish it.

The -White ,Paper, says Sir Michael O'Dwyer, " will in practice eliminate the small and indispensable British element; except the; I.C.S. and the Police, where judgement is suspended for five.. years.". Under provincial autonomy as envl.saged in the ,White Paper and the Simon Report, the recruitment and administration of the Provincial services will be controlled by Public Service Commissions. What the White Paper proposes in the case of the I.C.S. and the Police is that recruitment should continue on existing lines for the next five years, and neither the system nor the proportion of British officers can be altered except with the, consent of both Houses of Parliament. The result is that for many years . to come the proportion of British officers in these security services will not be materially less than that laid down by the I.ee Commission, in 1924. It is sometimes said that the Aritish officials. will exercise their right to.retire without completing their service under the new constitution, but the Secretary of State has given definite pledges that their rights and interests will be fully protected. The great majority of the services have expressed themselves not only willing but anxious to stay on xmdei these conditions and the Par- liS,mentary 'Joint Committee is now considering practical methods of giving effect to their pledges..

Sir ,Michael says that " responsibility for the .good govern- Ineat-Of,Inflia is now to be transferred " to elected legislatures

interpolation. Partial responsibility has been transferred for the past 14 years and more. At present 8 out of 6 Executive Councillors in the Government of India and 14 out of 80 in the Provinces, together with all the . 21 Ministers in the Provinces, 2 out of 5 Chief Justices and 87 out of 80 High Court . Judges are all Indians. There is therefore already a nucleus of trained administrators available to work the new Constitution.

Sir Michael complains that the Governor " will be so isolated that he will be unable to intervene till it is too late or may find delay or obstruction preventing the execution of his orders." We assume that the Governor will be provided with a staff which will keep him in touch with the various departments, and our experience does not lead us to believe that responsible Indian Ministers will spend their time and energies in thwarting the Governor and wrecking the Con- stitution. With the creation of the enlarged electorate (which Sir Michael curiously terms a " narrow and mainly illiterate body of voters ") new issues, political and economic, will arise. The Ministers and the Legislature will find themselves fully occupied in dealing with these matters and will have little time for the amusement of Governor-baiting which has occasionally appealed to a small class in the past. In the last resort, the White Paper provides for the suspension of the Constitution and the vesting of complete powers in the Governor. . It is intended that this provision should be used if necessary to prevent a breakdown of the administra- tion, and it has, in fact, been used in the past both in Bengal and in the Central Provinces.

.The comparison with Ireland appears to us irrelevant. There were no safeguards in Ireland. The Army was with- drawn, the Constabulary disbanded, no safeguards were retained in the matter of finance and no control over legis- lation.

Sir Michael says that the White Paper proposals go far to eliminate the beneficent influence of Parliament's control over Indian affairs, and that they transfer " at one sweep " all the responsibility of the British Crown and Parliament. Some lessening of Parliament's control is implicit under any form of self-government, but under the White Paper proposals, Parliament will still have control of the Army, of external relations and of the essentials of finance, while the Governor- General and the Provincial Governors will have powers which, if properly used—and it is intended that they should be properly used—will allow of intervention before matters reach the state apprehended by souse of the critics of the White Paper.

It may in our opinion be fairly claimed that the White Paper offers for the consideration of the Parliamentary Joint Committee a balanced scheme providing a substantial con- stitutional advance accompanied by the safeguards required to protect Imperial interests and to prevent maladmin- istration.—We are, Sir, &c.,

(Signed) : LAURIE HAMMOND (Governor of Assam, 1927-81).

ERNEST HarsoN (Acting Governor of Bombay, 1981).

FRANK Iiunsost (Commission 1926-29).

Jonas KERB (Governor of 1922-7,. Acting Governor . gal, 1925)., I-IENRY LAWRENCE (Acting Governor of Bombay, 1926).

ARTHUR NELSON (Acting Governor, Central Provinces, 1982). - WILLIAM REID (Acting Governor of

Assam, 1925).

II. A. WILSON (acting Chief Secretary to Government, Central Provinces,

- • 1925). • — in Sind, Assam, of Ben- Union of Britain'and India; Carton House (East),

Tuthill Street, London, -