Mr. Gandhi on the S. A. Commission Mr. M. K. Gandhi, was recently interviewed by a representative of the Associated Press of India on the subject of South African Commission. Asked what he thought of Mr. Montagu's announcement regarding the composition of the Commission, he said:-It is a matter of very great regret that Mr. Montagu's message to His Excellency the Viceroy so materially alters the position. I do, however, feel that any agitation insisting upon the appointment on the Commission of Indian representatives may damage our case which is so overwhelmingly strong. If a representative like Mr. Sastri is appointed along with Sir Benjamin Robertson to put before the South African Government and the forthcoming Commission the Indian case, it would be the next best thing. In my opinion our effort should be to concentrate upon securing a proper reference to the Commission in the place of the very narrow one, we are led to believe is likely to be suggested by the Union Government. The Times of India is really rendering a great service in moulding and consolidating public opinion on this question, irrespective of class or race. It is not enough that merely the trade question is referred to the Commission. The whole of the Law 3 of 1885 must come under review leaving aside for the time being the question of political status. Our goal must be the restoration of full trading and property rights of Indians lawfully settled in South Africa. This is what even Australia has allowed although it was Australia which led the anti Asiatic cry. We must also guard against the Commission whittling down any of the rights already being enjoyed by the settlers. By no canon of justice or propriety can the existing rights be taken away from the Indian settlers, but if we do not take care and provide beforehand there is every danger of such a catastrophe happening. It actually happened with the Select Committee of the Union Parliament whose findings produced the new legislation we so much deplore. Mr. Andrews In order to help British Indians in South Africa in preparing their case for the Commission, Mr. C. F. Andrews has left for South Africa. Mr. Andrews goes on behalf of, and as representative of the Imperial Citizenship Association. It will be remembered that Mr. Andrews, together with Mr. Pearson, has been already in South Africa and done valuable work there. Indians in Fiji Intimation has been received from the Secretary of State for India that the Government of Fiji have been instructed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies that the Indian labourers in Fiji are to be released from indenture on 1st January, 1920 on all estates on which the following reforms suggested by Mr. C. F. Andrews have not been carried out by that date:-(1) That at the mill centres the coolies lines be reconstructed so as to give privacy and separateness to married labourers; (2) that at the mill centres the hospitals be placed under the supervision of a resident matron; (3) that no young unmarried overseer be placed in charge of field gangs of Indian women; (4) that no young unmarried Hospital Assistant be placed in charge of an Indian hospital where there is no matron. Hindusthan Association of America We have received numerous communications asking for advice regarding the value of American deplomas for Indian students and such other information as students intending to go to America for study may require. We draw the attention of our correspondents to the following note by Mr. Rama Kumar, Khemka, President of the Hindusthan Association of America: in the A letter from the Educational Adviser for Indian Students to the Secretary of State, India Office, London, to the Advisory Committee in India, recently made public states that due to Universities, British overcrowding specially in the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Science, it will be difficult for Indian students to gain admission in the better English Universities. Allow me to call the attention of the Indian students to the many first class American Universities which have no complaint to make of overcrowding or lack of proper facilities due to war or any other reasons and which welcome students from all countries without distinction of colour, creed or race. Indian students will find American Universities particu larly suited to their needs in scientific engineering medical, agricultural and commercial subjects. Indian students need not feel disappointed if they are unable to gain admission to Oxford or Cambridge, with Harvard, Yale, Columbia and other American Universities willing to welcome them. Students desiring information about American Universities are requested to write to the Hindusthan Association of America, 116 West 39th Street, New York City, U.S.A. Railway Companies Presiding over a Conference held at Surat, Mr. Hansraj Pragji Thakersey of Bombay strongly criticised the railway policy followed by the Government of India. He regretted that the Government were encouraging company management and renewing contracts in every case, despite nonofficial public protests. The net result, the speaker said, was that India seemed to exist for the benefit of the railway companies and not the railways for the development of India. As one instance of injustice, Mr. Hansraj stated that railway companies charged fifty per cent. more freight on certain indigenous products than for foreign goods of the same kind. International Labour Conference The International Labour Conference opened at Washington on October 30. The delegates represented thirty-six countries and included the Ambassadors and Ministers of many nations. The United States was not represented officially, but Mr. Gomperts and other prominent Labour leaders were present. It was announced that the representatives of Capital and Labour in the United States would participate unofficially. The Secretary for Labour, Mr. Wilson, welcoming the delegates in the President's name, declared that the future prosperity of the world depended upon the solution. of the labour problem, and added that all social experiments should be conducted so carefully that explosions could not occur. All conclusions of the Conference must give full consideration to the fact that workers are sentient beings; otherwise the Conference would fail. The problem all over the world was to secure a fair adjustment between the employees, while securing a scheme of production. Mr. Gandhi on Hand Weaving I want every man, woman and child to learn hand-spinning and weaving. I want every Satyagrahi to help to propagate this work. Let every man learn to provide for his clothing in his house and many of our current problems will resolve themselves. I am asking you to do nothing new. It is not as though you have to skip over the centuries and go to Ancient India for this kind of work. Even a few decades back, every village had its hand looms and the people were wearing only clothes woven therefrom. Spinning was being done normally in every house. It is not neecha work. Ranis in palaces have done this. If this is resumed again we shall have done well by our country.-(To an interviewer.) Indian Village Industries The Bombay Government in a press note dated October 7, state:-Arrangements are in progress for an exhibit of Indian village industries at the British Industries Fair, which will be held in the Crystal Palace, London, in February and March 1920. As the whole exhibition is restricted to certain classes of articles, most of which are not made by Indian village artisans the exhibition of Indian village industries will be limited to the following descriptions:-(1) Silver and Electroplate, (2) Fancy goods, (3) Toys and sports goods. The exhibition is a 66 19 Trades Fair and is open only to the members of trade and not to the outside public. Only articles likely to command a sale in United Kingdom are therefore suitable for exhibition and they must be such that orders for large quantities can be executed with reasonable punctuality and correctness. The Director of Industries will be glad to receive suggestions for the participation of the village industries of the Bombay Presidency including Native States. At the Crystal Palace, the following suggestions have already been received :-(1) Sandalwood work from Surat, (2) Wood and Metal work of various kinds, (3) Gold and Silver thread embroidery from Surat and Ahmedabad,(4) Bead work, (5) Toys, (6) Lace embroidery. The members of the public who are interested in trades to be represented and officials are invited to co-operate in obtaining samples for exhibition. The Department of Industries will assist if necessary, in making business arrangements for the execution of any orders that may subsequently be received from England. The Soap Trade A writer in the London Chamber of Commerce Journal says that in view of the increased attention now given to the manufacture of soap in India, it is probable that trade in laundry-soap hitherto imported from England has reached its highest point, and that a downward tendency will now set in. He expresses the opinion, however, that the market as a whole will not become of less value to the United Kingdom soap exporter, because the use of the better qualities of soap is increasing. In the Madras Presidency, in spite of increased local manufacture, the Indian market for soap is still worth about three-quarters of a million sterling annually, the bulk of which is supplied by the United Kingdom. Agriculture in Britain Addressing agriculturists in London, Mr. Lloyd George outlined the Government's policy as regards agriculture. He emphasised that agriculture was the greatest industry in the country and the Government wanted to restore its previous prosperity. He said: "We produced, before the war, two-fifths of our food-stuffs and imported three fifths, while during the war we produced three-fifths and imported two-fifths." He urged the vital necessity for restoring the four and a half million acres of land which had gone out of cultivation since 1870. The cultivator naturally asked for security and it was essential to give him a guarantee covering a sufficient number of years to justify the farmer in breaking up land. Moreover the farmer must be protected, when land was sold over his head. Therefore, it was proposed that his tenancy should be secured. On the other hand, there must be à guarantee that the farmer would do his best to get the maximum production. year in Progress of Co-operation in India An official report, which has lately been published, shows that the co-operative credit movement made good progress in the 1917-18 though an enormous field still remains to be covered. The number of Central Banks including Provincial and Central Banks and Banking Unions rose during the year, from 264 to 282, the membership of these institutions increasing in the same period from 76,475 to 91,494 and their working capital from Rs. 485 lakhs to Rs. 580 lakhs. The net profit resulting from the operations of these banks was, round figures Rs. 11 lakhs during the year, the agricultural primary societies increased in number from 20,990 to 23,742 and the non-agricultural societies from 1,237 to 1,450. At the close of the year the agricultural societies comprised .851,407 members with a capital of Rs. 689 lakhs and the non-agricultural societies 203,837 members with a capital of Rs. 171 lakhs. The aggregate profits of reached Rs. 35 lakhs. A table is presented the primary societies showing the number of societies per hundred thousand inhabitants in the various provinces. Ajmer is easily first with 73.2 Burma coming next with 29 and the Central Provinces third with 26 6. The Punjab follows with 20'6 and then come Coorg with 18, Bombay with 9, Bengal witn 82, Madras with 6'6, the United Provinces with 6.5 and Bihar and with 5. Orissa British Farmers Mr. James Donaldson, on behalf of the National Farmers' Union, has submitted a statement to the Royal Commission on Agriculture in which he says: "The National Farmers' Union feel, that this question of the economic future of agricul ture is a matter more of political concern than of industrial concern." "As good citizens the members of the National Farmers' Union would deplore the establishment of conditions which made for low production accompanied by a large measure of de-population. As business men they are quite prepared to meet these conditions and to adapt their management to them." "The repeal of the Corn Production Act and a return to the unrestricted play of the law of supply and demand, would not, taking the long view, do injury to the farmer nor to the workers as individuals; certain of the farmers would adapt themselves to the new conditions in the ways indicated above, and those of the workers by collec who were still employed would secure tive bargaining that which they now get through the Agricultural Wages Board. But the nation would lose heavily in output at a time when home production is the thing most needed for national rehabilitation, and it would lose in healthy manhood at a time when the creation of an Agricultural population is the concern of al who have its true welfare at heart." Nilgiri Fruits and Potatoes The Publicity Bureau writes:-It has been decided to transfer to the Director of Agriculture the control of the Government Garders and Parks on the Nilgiris with effect from the 1st April, 1920. The Curator of the Gardens will from that date be a member of the Agricultural Department, and will continue in charge of all the items of work for which he is at present responsible. But he will be relieved of many of his routine duties by the strengthening of his staff of subordinates. He will thus be able to devote more attention to improving the cultiva tion of the potato on the Nilgiris and to study. ing the possibilities of fruit culture on the Nilgiri plateau. The importance of the Nilgiri potato is already generally admitted, and it will be remembered that Government recently approved Sir Frederick Nicholson's proposals for the establishment of a jam and pickle factory at Coonoor. There is therefore special reason for giving assistance to the growing of fruit on these hills. SHORT NOTICES ONLY APPEAR IN THIS SECTION.] Indo-Aryan Polity: During the age of the Rig Veda: By Praphulla Chandra Basu, M A., B.L. (Pioneer Press, Allahabad.) Price Rs. 3. The book offers a critical study of the early institutions of the Indo-Aryans as disclosed in the Vedas. The author deals with all the institutions, social and political,-the patriarchal family, the village community, caste and polity proper. The chapter on property contains some interesting reflections on the growth of private Indian Aryans, early property among the enough when compared with the comparative achievement of the other Aryan branches. The chapter on Polity, deservedly a long one, is perhaps the most interesting. It deals with the early Vedic political institutions-kingship, tribal assembly and nobility. The abundance of materials and the various existing desertations on the subject by a number of European scholars might have merited a more detailed and definite study of Vedic polity, vastly interesting as it is in view of the many republican and monarchical states that grew out of the Vedic tribal organisations in later days. But as it is, the author has dealt with the subject in a clear and unbiassed manner. The Exchange Crisis. By S. K. Sarma B.A., B.L. (Law Printing House, Madras.) This is a reprint of the author's memorandum of evidence before the Indian Currency and Exchange Committee in London. Mr. Sarma urges:"What India wants is not a gold standard or even a gold exchange standard, which is neither fish nor flesh nor good red herring, bnt a standard which can be relied upon for deferred payments, which will not increase the burden of the debtor at the expense of the creditor, which will not fluctuate in value according to the Government here or a minister elsewhere, which will, in short, perform the function of money satisfactorily as any standard can. That standard can only be obtained by an international settlement of the value between the two precious metals which will open the Indian mints alike to free gold and to free silver." as Precious Thoughts of Master Minds. By R. J. Lalcaca. (Rd. Superintendent of Post Offices, Gujarat). This book contains select passages culled from the works of well-known authors. A useful index is also provided at the end of the book. Expressions and Caricatures. By Dhirendra Nath Gangopadhyay, (Ananda Vandar Publishing House, 27 Sukea St., Calcutta.) Mr. Dhirendranath Gangopadhyay whose personations of different phases of Bengalee life are presented in this Album, reveals himself as a young artist of "sensitive imagination and alert intelligence." Mr. Pat Lovett who writes a brief but appreciative foreward to the Album that points out "his (Mr, Dhirendra's) artistry will be a revelation to many who know the educated Bengalee only as a clerk or vakil and it ought to enkindle a desire for a closer acquaintance with a national characteristic that makes the Bengalee as interesting as the citizen of Athens in the day of Aristophanes." Now that we are familiar with the new poetry and painting of Bengal Mr. Dhirendra's contribution reveals the Bengalee talent for the histrionic art. The Album is beautifully printed and got up. Master-pieces of Detective Fiction. Compiled and edited by C. A. Soorma. (American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon). This is a collection of several works of detective romance published with the object of creating a better taste in detective fiction. Most of these have already appeared in the Rangoon Mail and the attempt of the author to give them in book-form must be welcome to those who follow detective stories with interest. The book is neatly printed and well got up. BOOKS RECEIVED. DAYS OF HISTORY. By C. V. Calvert, B. A. and B. L. K. Henderson, M. A., D. Litt., Methuen and Co., Ld., London. REDEMPTION: HINDU AND CHRISTIAN. By Sydney Cave, D. D., Oxford University Press, Bombay. BEAUMARRY HOME FROM THE WARS. By Anthony Hope, Methuen and Co., Ld., London. LIVING ALONE. By Stella Benson. Macmillan and Co., Ld., London. STUDIES IN MUGHAL INDIA. By Jadunath Sarkar, M.A., M. C. Sarkar and Sons, Calcutta. Price Rs. 2. A Manual of Vedanta Philosophy by S. S. Mehta B.A. Sandhurst, Gargoon, Bombay. PUBLIC LIBRARIES AT HOME AND ABROAD. By S. V. Narasimha Sastry, B.A., Bezwada WRITINGS AND SPEECHES OF KUMAR MANINDRA CHANDRA SINHA, M.B.E. (Published by H. W. B. Moreno, Willesby St. Calcutta). REPORT OF THE SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AT BOMBAY. Published by Dr. D. D. Sathaye, Bombay, Oct. 25. Mr. George Lansbury presides over the Oct. 26. In the Commons Mr. Bonar Law made Punjab Mahomedans present an address to been demanded from the Rangoon Mail, while the deposit in respect of Burma Observer has been forfeited and fresh security is demanded. Oct. 29. A press communique is issued with reference to the Disorders Enquiry Committee. Oct. 30. Debate in the Commons on the financial situation: the Premier's defence. Oct. 31. The Punjab Enquiry Committee held its first sitting this morning at Delhi. Nov. 1. Mr. Gandhi interviewed at Delhi by a representative of the Associated Press expressed his views on the S. A. Commission. Nov. 2. The Pioneer announces that a Bolshevik agent has arrived in Kabul, Nov. 3. All India Moslem League sends a cable to the Premier on the Khaliphate question. Bombay Educational Conference at Surat, Gujarat Political Conference at Surat, Hon. Chiefs' Conference at Delhi; H. E. the of State communi cates His Majesty's appreciation of India's loyalty. Nov. 5. Opening of the First Oriental Conference at Poona. Nov. 6. Nov. 7. His Majesty has issued a manifesto in connection with the anniversary of the Armistice. Nov. 8. The Indian Army Commission started for India to day. Nationalists' Conference in Madras. Nov. 9. Sir Dinshaw Wacha has been appointed to the Army Committee. Nov. 10. Sir James Meston retires from service and is raised to the peerage. Anniversary day of the Armistice. Nov. 11. The Disorder Enquiry Committee arrived at Lahore this morning. Nov. 12. Lady Chelmsford has issued an appeal for funds on behalf of the Association for provision of Health and Maternity Supervision, Nov. 13. The Congress Sub-Committee declines to co operate with the Hunter Committee if the principal leaders in jail are not released. Nov. 14. The First All-India Libraries Confe rence met at the Gokhale Hall, Madras. H. E. Lord Willingdon opened the Exhibition. Nov. 15. A public meeting in Lahore to bid farewell to Mr. C. F. Andrews on the eve of his departure to South Africa. Nov. 16. Debate in the Commons on the Russian policy. Death of Justice Atkinson by railway acci dent on his way from Bombay to Patna. Nov. 17. Convocation of the Madras University. The Hon. Rev. E. M. Macphail delivered the address. Nov. 18. A Conference was held at the Govern ment House, Calcutta, to consider the question Nov. 19. Pundit Motilal Nehru has been elected Nov. 21. Inaugural meeting of H. E. H. the Nov. 23. Meeting of the All-India Khilafat Conference at Delhi. Nov. 24. H. E. the Viceroy arrived in Madras this morning and received numerous addresses, Nov. 25. The Madras Liberal League passed a resolution welcoming the revised Reform Bill. Nov. 26. H. E. the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the Victory Hall in Madras, |