Lord Wavell in Calcutta
Lord Wavell made his first public speech as Viceroy of India.. to the Associated Chambers of Commerce last Monday. In address- ing this, a mainly European audience, it was not to be expected that he would dwell at length upon political or constitutional issues. He spoke for the most part of administrative questions and in particular that of the Indian food problem ; and he firmly reminded the Bengal Government that though the Central Government had come to the rescue in undertaking the supply of food for Calcutta, the Provincial administration must put its house in order and accept its responsibilities. Lord Wavell did, however, turn for a moment to wider issues, declaring his sympathy with the aspirations of India towards self-government, and expressing the belief that political progress was not impossible during the course of the war. The winning of the war, however, must come first, and he thought that administrative co-operation in the tasks of the war, though it would not solve the political problem, might produce an atmosphere more favourable to its solution. Lord Wavell has undoubtedly made a good impression by the promptitude with which he has intervened in the food crisis, and the evident turn of the war in our favour has at least removed one of the conditions which helped agitators.. But nothing has yet happened, either through any gesture on the part of the Government or any sign from leaders of the Congress Party or the Moslem League, to indicate any advance towards co- operation between those two parties or between them and the Government.
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