July 8.
The brief telegram announcing the latest attempt by the Indian National Congress to flourish its qualifications for responsibility, in the eyes of the world shows that another essentially destruc tive and senseless enterprise is being launched. The Government, of the Central Provinces possess mple powers to deal with the, situation and, unless Sir Montagu Butler's hand has Jost. its cunning, the volunteers with their axes and the rest will, given little rope. The selection of the Forest Department as. the, focus of agitation is no new. thing. It is part of the technique of the Congress which looks out for and is ready to exploit any well-established "popular" griev. ance however ill-founded and ill. conceived. To.an ignorant population the conservation of forest resources is not casy.to explain, They merely.perceive large areas, which seem to provide plentiful grazing, barred to them by a tyrannical govern ment, Forest Officers ate con~ stantly faced with the necessity of, explaining the fundamental facts, but,. when agitators, axe active, truth goes by the board. The great mass of the agricultarists in India derive no. direct benefit from the forests, and the indirect - benefits: promoting
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.