The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-09-17
WHEELER FINED S250 FOR AUTO HOMICIDE
Gandhi Says United States Must At Once
 Dissipate Its Gold
Will Cease Worshipping MammOn and Become Best Nation

and idealism to become the best nation. The United States has a great hoard of gold, curse and a primary cause of the depression. This must be dissipated, distribut- ed and put into circulation. and wealth equalized.
 within the bounds of possibilities. You are a great producing coun- try and have not learned the les- wealth. Luxuries are concentrated in the hands of a few. There are vast stores of wheat, yet people are starving. still, your poorest are more prosperous than the In- dian poor. I can show you Indian villages and Indians actually cruinbling under the weight of economic pressure
 Gandhi charged that India's eco- homie troubles resulted from flor eign domination"
 Give India her freedom, and she will be relieved immediately of millions of pounds burden" he said.
 Regarding India's silver prob- lem and world silver conference, Gandhi said frankly he had no deti- mite opinion on silver.
 T am not an expert on financial matters, particularly currency" he explained. q listen to the argu- ment of proponents of both the silver and gold standards and sway first one way and then the other but eventually the decision must be left to experts. It must be re- membered, however, that India IS fundamentally a silver-using coun- try. Naturally the trend towards the use of silver is becoming a strong economic habit"
 A free India, Gandhi went on. would welcome imports.
 "If we export a bushel of wheat to obtain a bushel of corn which India needs, | heartily approve, , he said. But to export a bushel of wheat to import a British sol- dier is soul-destroying.'
 In elaborating his hopes for the United States, Gandhi hailed pro- hibition as an indication of Amer ica's great courage. He referred to it as "superhuman task" how ever, and feared the experiment would fail. But if it failed, he added, it would be a great failure by great nation and an inspira- ton to other peoples.
 "The task of enforcing prohibit tion is tremendous" he said, "be- cause drink in the United States is a fashionable sin ingrained in the habits of the people. Therefore it is most difleult to make drink a crime. Drink in India is not fash ionable. India never had and never will have your saloons. You can walk for miles without encoun- tering a single public house."
 Gandhi was affable during the interview and talked freely. The correspondent on arrival was greet ed by the Mahatma's son, Devidas, and escorted up three flights of narrow, winding cement stairs and across a terrace to his room. A white-haired Hindu who was communing with Gandhi arose and departed quickly.
 Gandhi arose and greeted his visitor affably, apologized for the lack of conveniences and smiled as the correspondent squatted unac- customedly on a small rug facing the Mahatma. Asking leave to take his breakfast. he put a pewter bowl in his lap and took half a peach from the plate on the floor, leaving two pears and shrivelled apple on the plat. He peeled the peach with his little fingernail and ate slowly, scooping out the peach with a pewter spoon.
 His body was covered with shawls, leaving only his head, hands and the toes of his left foot exposed. A cheap silver watch dan gled at his waist.
 He gestured with his lean brown hands, holding the spoon, and peered intently at the visitor from behind his steel-rimmed spectacles. A small, hard pillow rested un- comfortably at the end of the mat tress against a waterpipe. At the bottom of the mattress was a bulg- corner held a hand loom.
 While he talked, Mirabai, other wise Miss Madeleine Slade, his se- cretary, or his son stopped occa- sionally at the open door or win dow and listened. Gandhi was ob- livious of time. Mirabai, enveloped in white sari and with head shaved finally stopped in the door and said softly:
 "Bapu, (father) I am sorry. It is time to go to St James palace"
 Gandhi took a last bite of the half peach and ended the inter- view.