REPORT OF INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION.

(a) The Conference places on record its grateful acknowledgements to the Government for having accepted the resolution of the Hon. Sir Ibrahim Rahimtulla to appoint a commission to consider the report upon the measures that should be adopted for the growth and development of industries in India; and thanks Sir Thomas Holland and his colleagues for having submitted a report which accepts many of the suggestions and recommendations which the Indian Industrial Conference has been urging from year to year upon the attention of the Government and people.

(b) The Conference welcomes as a step in the right direction, the principle laid down in the report for the definite adoption of a policy of State participation in industrial development, the principal constructive proposals made and the administrative machinery devised to put this recommendation into effect.

(c) The Conference further welcomes the reI commendation for the immediate creation (1) of Imperial and Provincial Departments of Industries (2) of two new services viz.. the Imperial Industrial and the Imperial Chemical; and (3) of various Imperial and Provincial institutes, subject to the modification that instead of the proposed Imperial Executive Board of Industries, there should be an advisory Board similar to that proposed for the Provinces, composed mainly of elected members; and further, that the two services should be reserved mainly for Indians. The Conference also welcomes the numerous valuable minor recommendations made by the Commission in various directions and earnestly urges upon the Government, the urgent necessity of putting into effect at an early date all the recommendations of the Commission, in order to put the country on the path of rapid industrial and economic progress.

(d) The Conference regrets that the Commission has failed to devote any attention to and made definite recommendations for the formulation of an adequate organization for propelling industrial enterprises in the country on a scale commensurate with the magnitude of the educative and advisory machinery suggested in the report, and earnestly urges upon the Government the immediate necessity of the formation of a comprehensive system of financing the industries, through the instrumentality of such organisations as Industrial Banks, at as early a date as possible.

EXCESS PROFIT TAX.

This Conference strongly protests against the contemplated imposition of the Excess Profit Tax, as it would, in its opinion, act almost as a levy on capital and is antaganistic to the promise of an active industrial police outlined in the Montagu-Chelmsford Reform Proposals and in the report of the Indian Industrial Commission; and earnestly urges upon the Government the necessity of abandoning the proposed measure.

IMPERIAL AND ALLIED PREFERENCE.

The Conference is emphatically of opinion that the compulsory inclusion of India in any scheme of "Imperial and Allied Preference" is opposed to the best interests of the country and unequivocally declares her deliberate desire to remain outside any such arrangement and to work out her industrial policy in accordance with her own needs and requirements.

RAILWAYS.

The Conference notices with regret and surprise the total absence in the Report of the Industrial Commission of a careful and comprehensive consideration of the important question of Railway Administration and railway rates, with special reference to the trade and industries of the country; and with a view to its rapid economic and industrial growth on sound and healthy lines, recommends that all the railways that are not at present under State management, be taken over by the Government immediately on the termination of their present contracts, and that meanwhile immediate steps be taken by the Government.

(a) to introduce a substantial Indian element in the Railway Board to represent Indian interests and views:

(b) to readjust completely the whole system of railway rates. which, at present in many cases, encourage foreign industries and trade at the expense and to the detriment of Indian commerce and industries; and to so re-arrange them as to encourage rather than discourage the latter:

(c) to encourage more liberally than hitherto the construction of feeder and branch lines by introducing less rigorous conditions than are obtainable now : and by granting loans to local boards and guaranteeing a fixed rate of interest on capital invested by private individuals:

and (d) to introduce a much larger element of Indians in the higher grades of the railway service than

now.

ALCOHOL FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.

That this Conference draws the attention of Govern ment to the great hardships experienced by distillers of medicinal industrial spirits due to some regulations being applied to them as are in force for distillation of liquor and urges Government to exempt them from Excise regulations.

The Cow Conference

The second All-India Cow Conference met at the pandal opposite the Jumma Musjid, Delhi, on the 30th December last. The Hon. Lala Sukhbir Singh, Chairman of the Reception Committee, made an interesting speech in the course of which he said that the object of the Conference was to devise ways and means for the improvement of agriculture and the protection and improvement of cattle, specially cows, as the true material and economic advancement of the country was entirely dependent upon these two factors. India was pre-eminently an agricultural country. More than seventy per cent of the population lived directly or indirectly by agricultural pursuits, and our agricultural system is entirely dependent upon cattle. Machine ploughing was not yet quite suitable to the requirements of the country. Hence the preservation and improvement of our cattle were of the primary importance for the agriculture of the land.

He then made some suggestions for the care of cattle and the management of pinjrapoles and appealed to Government to stop the dry meat trade with Burma. The next thing he mentioned was the providing of grazing lands for cattle. He said cultivation of fodder crops should be encouraged. Legislation for the protection of Brahmini bulls was required and village bulls should periodically be inspected by veterinary assistants. The Government should take steps to arrest the ruinous slaughter of prime cows without any further delay. In the annual fairs and horse shows in several districts prizes should be more adequately given to the owners of best cattle.

After the welcome address was over, Mr. C. Vijyaraghavachariar of Salem was elected President. The President delivered his address on the following day and the Conference closed after passing some resolutions similar to those adopted at the previous session.

Faridpur Agricultural Exhibition

The Faridpur Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition was opened on January 4 by the President, Mr. J. G. Dunlop, I. C. S., at a public meeting held under a decorated shamiana. Mr. J. G. H. Macnair, I. C. S., Sessions Judge, and almost all the leading official and non-official gentlemen of the town, as also several Zamindars of the district, attended the meeting. Babu Jnanendra Nath Lahiry, pleader, Hony. Secretary, read a report welcoming all at the opening ceremony and describing the usefulness of such an institution. The various industries of the District were represented in the exhibition: The Agricultural Department arranged a stall where the best seeds of the different crops were shown and the best varieties of paddy were exhibited.

Milk Supply.

The success of co-operation in India will be increasingly judged in future years by the progress made by agricultural non-credit societies and by non-agricultural societies. Bombay at present need fear no invidious comparisons with other Provinces as far as such societies are concerned. It has numerous societies of both kinds and is constantly branching out into new lines of work. The supply of pure milk to large cities is a question well worth the attention of the Co-operative Department especially in view of its close relation to infant mortality. ** It is evident that much educative work in matters of public health is still necessary and that local bodies have still to master the rudiments of what should be the most important part of their functions. Their apathy hushed the result of forcing the Co-operative Department to take a different line. The attempt to improve city milk supplies from within will not be pressed, writes the Mysore Economic Journal, but efforts will be made to increase the supply by bringing the milk from outside and by organizing its distribution,

very

A League of Nations. By H. N. Brailsford, Headley Bros. Ltd., London.

The creation of a permanent organization to ensure the peace of the world forms the main subject of the deliberations of the Peace Conference in Paris. Mr. Brailsford examines the problems of nationality, alliances, sea-power and the economic war of the future with sustained interest, and his book is perhaps the most considerable effort at a comprehensive study of the greatest and the most complex problem of the day.

Mr. Gandhi's Speeches and Writings.

and

G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, Price Rs. 3. This second edition contains some additional papers specially translated from Hindi Gujarati. It has also an introduction from the pen of Mr. C. F. Andrews, a biographical sketch of Mr. Gandhi together with a clear and succinct account of the great South African struggle by Mr. H. S. L. Polak, a graphic description of the historic march of the indentured Indians under the leadership of Mr. Gandhi, "A word of tribute" by Mr. G. A. Natesan, and numerous portraits and cartoons illustrative of different phases of the struggle. The Hon. Pandit M. M. Malaviya's Speeches and Writings, G. A. Natesan & Co Madras, Price Rs. 3.

This is a comprehensive and up-to-date collection comprising among others his famous Memorandum on the Hindu University Scheme, full text of his two Congress Presidential Addresses, his lengthy Memorandum on the MontaguChelmsford Proposals, his Minute on the Report of the Industrial Commission, and a careful selection of speeches on other subjects delivered on various occasions. The Pandit's select speeches in the Imperial Council will be read with interest. There is, besides, a lengthy biographical account of the Pandit's life and career, accompanied by a photo.

The Sacred Books of the Jainas: Vol IDravya Sangraha, Edited by Sarat Chandra Ghoshal, Published by Kumara Devendra Prasad, Jaina Publishing House, Arrah.

We are having in recent years a number of scholarly works being original treatises, as well as editions of classical works on Jaina religion and philosophy, from the pen of C. R. Jain Esq. Barrister-at-law, Justice R. L. Jaini Esq M. A., and other Jain scholars. The present work by Mr. Sarat Chandra Ghoshal will take a high rank in the series on account of its able introduction and valuable notes, apart from the fact that a fundamental elementary work on Jaina philosophy, the Lravya Sangraha, is published herein, with a voluminous commentary by a scholar named Brahma Deva. The work which is copiously annotated by Mr. Ghoshal in English, and for which the published commentary is also able and elaborate, will furnish to Hindu readers a reliable text book of Jaina philosophy in an intelligible form, full and not too elaborate.

Jan. 1. Death in Calcutta, of the Metropolitan of India.

The all-India Ladies' Conference met at the Congress pandal, Delhi, Mrs. Annie Besant presiding.

Jan. 2. His Excellency the Viceroy visited the Tata Iron and Steel Company's works at Sakchi to-day.

Arrival in Bombay of a batch of repatriated Kut prisoners.

Jan. 3. President Wilson was made a Civis

Komanus in the City of Rome.

Jan. 4. President Wilson visits His Holiness the Pope of Rome.

Jan. 5. The British delegates to the Peace Conference arrived at Paris.

Four Polish delegates also arrived in Paris.
Jan. 6. Ex-President Roosevelt died this mor-
ning at his residence in New York.
Jan. 7. Anarchy in Germany.

The Spartacists seized the newspaper offices and burnt the printing presses.

Jan. 8. Over 75 thousand mill hands struck work in the cotton factories in Bombay. Jan. 9. A meeting was held at the Calcutta University Institute to express condolance at the death of Sir Gurudas Banerjea, the Maharaja of Dharbanga presiding.

Jan. 10. The strikers' gathering of about 50 thousand was addressed by some prominent citizens advising them to rejoin duty. Jan. 11. The mill hands' trouble with the

Police. The mill owners decide to deal sympathetically with the labourers.

Jan. 12. The strike infection spreads to the cloth market to-day.

Jan. 13. All the heads of Provinces with the exception of Lord Pentland and the Governor of Bombay assembled at Delhi in connection with the Reform Scheme Conference.

Jan. 14. Sir S. P. Sinha has been appointed Under-Secretary of State for India.

Jan. 15. The G. I. P. Railway men struck work to-day.

Sir M. B. Chaubal opened the Navin Vidyalaya, Jan. 16. It is announced that India and the Dominions will be represented at the ensuing Peace Conference.

Jan. 17. The First Convocation of the Benares Hindu University was held to day presided over by the Chancellor, H. H. the Maharaja of Mysore.

Jan. 18. The first meeting of the Peace Conference was held at Paris to-day with Mr. Clemenceau in the chair.

His Royal Highness Prince John Charles Francis, the youngest child of their Majesties, the King and Queen died suddenly this night after a brief illness. Great grief is felt throughout the Empire on this bereavement in the Royal household.

Jan. 19. H. E. the Governor of Bombay interceded on behalf of the Mill-hands and secured from the Millowners special concessions in the shape of an increase of wages and war bonus. Jan. 20. The Conference of the Ruling Chiefs and Princes of India met at Delhi. H. E. the Viceroy opened the Session with an address.

The elevation to the Peerage of the UnderSecretary of State for India, Sir S. P. Sinha, is officially announced.

Jan. 21. It is announced that 150,000 men are now on strike in Bombay. The main demands of the mill-hand strikers have been conceded by their employers. The terms of the settlement arrived at were announced to the men by the Commissioner of Police and were received with the liveliest satisfaction by them.

Jan. 22. An Imperial air fleet Banquet was held in London to celebrate the British Empire's

victory.

Literary

The Press Association of India

A Conference of the Press Association of India met at Delhi in the Subjects Committee tent of the Congress on Wednesday the 25th December, Mr. B. G. Horniman of the Bombay Chronicle presiding.

Mr. Horniman explained the aims and objects of the Association. He deplored that very little interest had been taken in the past year by those connected with the press in the Association. He suggested that a Central Executive Committee should be formed in one particular place for the coming year and it should be entrusted with the work of the Association. Mr. Horniman requested those present to give their serious thought and support to the Association. He pointed out that the press in India required co-operation among those who were connected with it.

The Secretary of the Association, Mr. Mody suggested the starting of a Press Fund in every province. Mr. Kholsa of Lahore spoke of the "Black List in the Punjab.

The Conference also appointed a committee to consider in what respects it was desirable to revise the constitution of the Press Association in order to bring about more effectively the objects for which it was founded.

Common Language Conference The third session of the All-India Common Language Conference assembled at Delhi in the pandal opposite the Jumma Musjid on December 30. Dewan Bahadur V. P. Madhava Rao, C. 1. E. who presided over the session delivered an instructive address, the main portions of which appear in another page under the heading, "The Language Problem in India." (Page 46.) Mr. Madhava Rao began by discussing the need for a common language and a common script.

"At a time,” he asked, “ when India had to equip herself for the struggle to attain Nationhood and when they had to keep in line with the most advanced Nations, can her youth afford to waste in picking up half a dozen languages the time required to get correct ideas regarding the world round them and store their mind with the knowledge necessary for success in life."

In conclusion, he suggested that one's knowledge of the vernaculars would be strengthened by the knowledge of classical languages, like Sanskrit or Persian. Those who seek the culture of classical languages will have no reason to think that any additional burden is imposed. No new language need be studied immediately. Without much effort, the script problem also will slowly solve itself finally for all Indians, except that the Urdu speaking men will have known Nagari and the Urdu speakers their own alphabet.

The Conference passed about a dozen resolutions, the most important of them being the one urging the adoption of Hindi as a language and devising methods for its propagation.

common

The All-India Urdu Conference The All-India Urdu Conference was held at the Town Hall Delhi, on December 27. Lala Sri Ram, M. A., was the chairman of the reception committee and Nawab Zulkaderjang, president. Haziq-ul-Mulk Ajmal Khan, Dr. Ansari, the Hon. Alay Nabi. Lala Jawahar Lal, Messrs. Sajjad Haidar and Hasrat Mohani, and others were present. Resolutions thanking his exalted Highness the Nizam for establishing the Usmania Urdu University and forming a committee for framing rules to put the Urdu Conference on a sound permanent basis, proposed by Mr. Abdul. Gaffar, editor of the Jamhoor and seconded by Mr. Hasan Nizami, were unanimously carried.