It has been decided that, in the famishing of the new Government House at Delhi, the residence of the Viceroy, nothing but material from India and of Indian workmanship shall be used. For some time past, Lord and Lady Irwin have been giving careful attention to all kinds of furnitures carpets, upholstery, cushions and curtains, and Her Excellency's private sitting room in the Viceroy's residential wing already has been fully furnished and approved. Her Majesty the Queen-interest in details arrangement is well-and it is a noteworthy fact gularly Majesty's Designed by Sir Edwin Luttens, the furniture is made of wood of all Kinds from all parts of India. Beautiful rosewood, arnee, fir and toon have been brought from the woods of Madras; handsome te from Jubbulpore and Burma; shee ham and haida from the North Indian forests and fine padauk wood from the far distant Andama From such material Indian eraftsmen have produced the most elegant furniture, and the greatest care has been taken to bring out the natural colours of the different kinds of wood. Practically no var-rushing or plainting has been ro-sorted to. Rich kincob from Benares has been used for cushier ind Bhagalpore and Benares ha ks has prints for curtains have come from Farukhabad, in the United Provinees. All the carpets, the ta tries, silks, kincobs, and gulbac are handworked and show that the Tnglan workman has not Test hie Persia and the Air Route As generally is known, the air route to India and Australia from England has been held up as an open thoroughfare by the dispute with Persia in regard to the Cairo Basra section. This route, as Sir Sefton Brancker pointed out the other day, shows 100 per cent, regularity, but unfortunately Persia, though she agreed two years ago to 'a route regularly running along her coastline, so far has refused to ratify the agreement. Sir Sefton, however, now holds out hope that something may be done. A route, he says, on the Arabian side of the Persian' Gulf, is being surveyed, which presents no physical difficulties until a 270 miles imp across the Indian Ocean to Dritish territory has to be crossed. This sounds midable, but Sir Sefton Brancker optimistic and does not think it presents any serious difficulty, as places much faith in the now fireraft to meet When negotiations have been completed with the Indian Government in regard to the Karachi-Cal-cutty section and the route to Rangoon, and for a service from Penang to the Dutch East Indies—presumably with the Dutch Government—Sir Sefton Braneker estimates that this air route of 13,000 miles to Australia can be covered in 17 days, and when night flying jis possible—one of the bingest factors in improving air communigations—this will be redueed to 170
Team-Wrecking Attempts Serious anxiety has been caused in India recently by several deliber te attempts at train wrecking.
In each ease, the culprits have been undetected and, as four such attempts have taken place within a month, the public is likely to get alarmed, with the result that train travelling will decrease and the railways suffer much. Of these four attempts two oecussed on the BUR, one on the G.LP. Railway and one on the E.LR. In the first case the Ranchi express was derailed between Khargpur and Kal kunda on the B.N.R.; in the second, a passenger train was derailed between Canadia Road and Rupaund, iso on the B.N.R.; in the third, the special train bearing the Governor of Bombay had a narrow escape on the G.LP. Railway and, in the fourth case, the railway line was interfered with on the E.LR. near Arrah, In each case, the method seems to have been the same—the removal of fishplates. None of the culprits has been caught and no. clue has been found which would enable the authorities to bring. them to book. It seems fairly evident, however, that the outrages are the work of some malcontents employed or recently employed by the railways. For some time past there has been a strike of workshop employees at Khargpur, near the scene first attempt, there being great Gissatisfaction with a new scheme for effecting economy by a reduetion of the staff, which is held by the authorities to be excessive, That dissatisfaction is spreading among railway employees through out India seems evident from the fact that there have been rumours of a general strike future for some time. If this is so it would account for the adoption of these criminal methods on other railways besides the B.N.R, Better Roads for India India: is to have better roads at east that is the aim of a new Committee of Inquiry which has been sanctioned by the Governor-General-in-Council. The committee will consist of members of both Hous It is examine the desirability of developing the rond system of India and the means by which such lopment could be most suitably financed and to consider the forma. tion of a Central Road Board for the purpose of advising in regard to and ce-ordinating the policy in respect of road development. in India." Evidence will be taken from Local Government officials and representatives of other public body and the committee will sit at Delhi, Although in many parts of India the roads are admirable and compare favourably with those of any other country in the world, there fare other parts where much d velopment is needed and great improvements could be made, Cal-cutty itself, although it possesses, many fine thoroughfares within the heart of the city, is not s0 blessed on its outskirts and motorists here will be foremost in welcoming this Intest announcement of the Govern ment of India, Rerorts from Washington te Peking, seys the vernacular press, state that Dr, Alfred 8.K, S20, the Chinese Minister. and Dr. Frank W. Lee, the Nationalist delegate, are ce-operating in their dealings with the diplomats in that city in order to uphold China's rights. Already, it is said, they have secured the support of Senator Borah.—"Shui
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.