Lord Sankey said he proposed follow Lord "Reading's advice and ut a proviso into the clause that it Was not to operate to the prejudice of the seniority rights of anybody who was at present a Lord Justice, That happy compromise ought 19 satisfy everybody.
In conclusion, he explained that he intended to proceed with the commit. tee stage on Wednesday and hoped that the Bill would be passed before Christmas.
Lord Hewart said he was deeply Constitution, The Minister urged all men of goodwill both in Britain and in India take the scheme as whole and beeve that it was the intention of the Committee and of the Government to offer India the widest opportunies for self-government in a scheme that would help to keep India for all time a partner with Great Britain and the Empire. He said the time was over-due to make a further step forward upon the road of decent trallzation, The old Central Government of India was adequate so lone as the problems of government were comparatively simple, As, however, they became more complex and poli cal opinion grew, it became inevitable that this step on the road of decentralization should be taken.
'The frst broad conclusion of the committee was that' of provincial autonomy, containing within it responsibility for law and order. The Second broad conclusion was an all-India federation. There could be no all-India federation without the effective accession of a substantial number of Indian princes.
Responsibility with Sate Another conclusion of the Committee might be roughly described as responsibility with safeguards. These precautions were not the creation of theorists who wished to set up a of checks and balances. They constitution. There were provisions that dealt with the working of the sutive of legislatures. Tt wi fasential in the present conditions to keep the defence of India under the control of the Imperial Parliament, and then there were precautions known as special responsibilities.
No House of Commons, however composed, said Sir Samuel, would confer any Indian Constitution that id not safeguard the splendid Indian police force from any danger of its morale being undermined and the songes of its information being dried "As to dealing with terrorism, he was not surprised that the Committee blind made special and specific pro-porals. for arming the Governor-Genefol and governors with "special powers. to deal with this terrible Cull, 'These safeguards were a neces tary support, without "which "self government in India. could not #uea bill were passed on the feneraly net ne Commitee' would' work. If'no bill were passed ort, he believed the constitu fut of guch a state of affairs would sto come. 'The inevitable ive' Indian bill oe Dey
to drive "the problem of Indian Constitutional reform into the hands the. Extreme Wight and Extreme Lett "Ie was only when the country wag atrong and the Government stable lat Tt could afford. to. make -coniftlnah zeta. The Government Eau they believed them to. be for posed. them on, thole merits be-
the better government of India.
Report Condemned tor'the Limehouse Avian of Step-Major C. R. Attlee, Labour member
ney, on behalf of the Opposition. condemned the Report for its failure to mention India's goal of Dominion status. He emphasized that the de-Sire of the Labour Party was for a constitution which would enable the masses fo rid themselves of the social and economic evil. Indials felt that. after 180 years of British rule, the masses had remained poor and ignorant, Major Attlee said in conclusion that the delay in giving responsibility to India was a real indictment of the British and constituted a powerful offset to the material benefits they had given India. The idea that Indians must always be ruled for their own good by a lonely white, he said, was Victorian sentimentality.
Major Attlee was followed by Mr. Ieaae Foot, Liberal member for the Bodmin division of Cornwall and a member of the Indian Round-Table Conference in 1980-31, who supported the Government motion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.