The risks of launching this Constitution were admittedly great, but the risks of not doing anything were also great, Mr. Howard declared that British achievements in India would not have brought India to her present state If risks had not been accepted when they offered. There were safeguards which wore essential to any constitution. The use of the word had given rise to misapprehension. But the object of those safeguards was to make it possible for responsible government to be worked. Without them the scheme would be a failure. India could not prevent, 'a5 Great Britain did, a strongly organized party system, with a mobile body of political opinion capable of treating problems of administration fon their merits apart from personal for sectional issues. Tt was atill im: Possible in India to arrange for the two great communities, representing, different religions and different civilizations, to vote together polit cally. So communal electorates had fo be maintained, Some held the view that this was a complete bar to responsible government, but this view was not supported by the Joint Committee, nor was it consistent with actual' experience of the working of the present constitution, Trantter of Law and Order There had been, admittedly, heart searchings over the transfer of law and order in the provinces to Indian Ministers. But it was rightly pointed. out that unless law and order were thus transferred, the grant of provineial autonomy would be an empty farce. Moreover, Indians tad shown themselves capable of administering the department of law and order, and the view of the Simon Commission, endorsed by the Round Table Conferences, the White Paper and the Joint Committee had prevailed. The safeguards included the reservation of Foreign Affairs and defence to the control of the Viceroy, with his Counsellors, and would not_ come under the domination of the Federal Legislature. This was obviously necessary in the light of the facts of India's defence problems.
Another important provision in the Constitution lay in the setting up of a statutory railway authority to control the railways of India and keep them free from political influence. The railways of India were state controlled and they were highly important to the welfare of the country. Their mileage was something like 79,000 miles and experience of the working of the present constitution justified the view that the Govern. ment would do well to preserve this efficient aystem of communications from political interference.
Edward Cadogan's position was worth, noting. He signed the Simon Commission's Report recommending provineial autonomy. He wrote a book which showed that he was inclined to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.