The world changes rapidly in these days, but the VICEROY of India still enjoys, if that be the correct word, still, shall we say, retains sovereign honours. Respect for viceregal etiquette forbids one asking him questions, at least ¼/ directly. And he dwells in one of the world's largest palaces. It has been claimed that it is absolutely the world's largest palace, though one recalls that the British once sacked a rather large imperial edifice in Pekin; which must run the Indian establishment at least a close second.

Looking out of the Mogul garden, eight years ago, it was natural that the Viceroy of that time, Freeman Thomas, should have felt and said that India had everything to gain by remaining in the orbit of Empire, that is British Empire. The British had built the railways, without bringing comfort to India. The British had built roads, without bringing comfort to India. The word "built" probably refers, in official documents, rather to the investment of capital, at interest, of course. refers rather to engineering projects then to the actual digging, and stone breaking implied in these constructions. The official world is "built railways, roads, irrigation works". All to the benefit of someone who was not the Indian man in the village, or the Indian man on the HHHHWELIH road.

And eight years ago the Viceroy was expressing his high esteem of the Duce. The photographers showed Lord Willesden as a marvel of élgance. "ever since Velasquez painted King Philip of Spain has a hand been draped with such elegance. Willesden, in his photographs, was every inch EHHHEHH an aristocrat. Though it impossible to tell from his photograph whether he was/ possessed seven feet of inches, or was simply small man, but a very thin man, of

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quite exquisite proportions, with a jaw longer than that
of any one known to the present age, with the exception
of the late EX-king, Alfonso of Spain.

Sash, court sword, a uniform so covered with expensive
gold embroidery that it is almost impossible to tell whether
he is wearing two or three double grand super crosses, super stars
or three such embellishments, apart from the collar of
the highest possible nature.

And eight years ago all this elegance, was for
some quite arcane reason interviewing Signor Rea, correspondent
of La Stampa, di Torino. We say that the Viceroy was interviewing
Signor Rea, because etiquette forbade, and forbids the
interview to be double-track. Yet whichever way you put
it, Lord Willesden was adding, if not to history, at least
to the history of journalism, for there can have been very
few viceregal interviews listed as "Social and personal".

And in 1934 The Viceroy of India said politely that
England and ITALY were the two countries "solidly or
calmly at anchor in the midst of the storm."

You will remember that there was still in 1934 some
financial uneasiness in the world. There had been a depr'
depression. And Lord Willesden was a much esteemed Viceroy,
and was said to have brought a certain amount of quiet to
India.

And Mr Ghandi was in jial. Which does not surprise us.
The Vicery had put him into the jail, rather prompty on
the "ghatma's arrival. But the Viceroy said that Ghandi was not
a " bad fellow " MHHHHEHET

Despite the fact that Ghandi had used
rather hash language, precicely IN a letter to the
viceroy. which again was not surprising. British Proconsuls

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use the term " not a bad fellow " with considerable range
of meaning, when referring to native potentates. A mahatma, a negus
,some one, in or out of the market.

The interest in the Willingdon Rea interview
lies rather in the remarks about India's troubl
troubles than in the specific reference to the Mahatma.

a
Signor Rea had tactfully conveyed his curiosity
about the well know problem, not specifically indian , namely
that of poverty amidst plenty. The Viceroy in interviewing
Signor Rea had given him this chance to show the enquiring
spirit.

Sig. Rea had marvelled at the natural riches of india,
in contrast to the misery of the inhabitants. He thought it was
almost a world record. Unlimited economic possibilities;
the improvements in administration, a railway system larger
than that of any other state, that of the United States of
America, the vast irrigation works, the very modern equipment ,
seventeen universities,

and Lord Willesden had had replied
that India was indeed rich, everything necessary for life,
even for modern life the soil very fertile, the abundance
of timber, live stock, petroleum, coal, rubber, all the
metals from lead to gold.

all distributed according to principles
no different from those operant elsewhere. But the
exploitation of the system, ah, there was the re rub.

The indian ( this time it was the
indian who was in question ) the INDIAN had not been
able to better his economic condition because, for centuries
, from generation to generation the USURER and the indian
system of usury had enchained the workmen, had chained down
village labour. The labourer was in a state of perpetual DEBT;
from birth to the grave.

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The viceroy's view was not new. It was front page news in 1934 because it came from a Viceroy of India. It had been so for centuries. It was according to Willesden " almost tradition ". The word almost seems now superfluous.

Willesden's touch was in the additional statement, that with the increase of " improvements " the usury had grown worse. It had worked when it was merely a matter of rural and scattered life. But when it got going on a more evolved community, wherein the people had developed more needs, one felt the usury MORE.

The words reported by Sig. "ea are, textually "Now imagine the effects, already deplorable while such a system was operant exclusively on backward rural communities, when the usury starts " working " in a more evolved ambience, such as that of the HEMEES Indian cities, where progress has spread; and while it gives a morex provides MKKMBREKY COMFORTETEBAKKLIFAK for the people with a form of life more comfortable and commodious; a more complete form of life, also creates greater NEEDS. Usury Usury, transplanted from the primitive conditions of the villages into the more complex and perfected treeain of modern economy; operates with multiple virulence. And that is the prime reason why a rich country is filled with poor people."

Well now that is all very interesting. And we don't imagine that the viceroy used quite such high sounding language, thought the interview was most certainly passed for the press. And the declaration must have been made in a sense of Willesden's

essentially that

reported.

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### EHEHPRUBBEBHETHEHHHEHH

It is the discrepancy between Willesden's frankness in diagnosis and his conclusions, as expressed on the second page, colim one, of the la Stampa, that sti strike us as curious.

England had "built" the railways. England had built the roads, and erected or sunk the in irrigation plants, and all this had increased the can r canker of usury

AND YET .... eh...and YET

INDEED it was to India's interest to remain inside the Empire, or in the ambit of Empire, British Empire.

It was obviously to the viceroy's interest to remain in the world's largest palace. It was, we can grant, to the interest of the bond holders, and share holders, to receive their annual dividends. It was to someone's interest, not apparently to the interest of the indian natives, that the HISPANIC market for the rupee should be and remain, from century to century, VERY unstable.

The rupee had, indeed, in 1934 appreciated greatly in value. If Lord Willesden's mind drifted vaguely to the problem of the rupee, it seems to have escaped Signor "ea. One can't of course, discuss everything in one interview. And The Viceroy had something to say on the subject of saint hood, and The Mahatma's impracticality. Which he thought might have more effect on the Indians, than it would have if he started reading the bible.

All of this passed the time pleasantly and no question of the effect of Churchill's reestablishment

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of the gold standard; was raised.

Usury, according to the Viceroy was the main trouble. It had gone on for ages. In fact, Sig. Area heads his three comm interview " The Monsoon of gold and Hunger " " Usury the prime wound of Indian ".

Followed by the elegant PHILIPPAH reproduction, three quarters, or seven eights, length of the most elegant Viceroy, 'reeman Thomas, Lord Willesden. At a time when seventy five percent of the people of India. Senenty five percent of India's Three Hundred and Fifty million inhabitants, were directly or indirectly concerned with agriculture. And Three score there had been a decline of commodity prices. It was called a " calamitous decline ".

As you can see, ascertain from the Review of the Trade of India, for the years 1932/33. The agriculturalists, the Indian agriculturist was being compelled to give the Tax collector; the local money lender and other creditors

TWICE AS MUCH OF THE PRODUCE OF his fields, as he had given five years before, to meet exactly the same amount of Land Revenue, Interest, and other demands.

And this was, according to Sir M. de P. Webb.
C.I.E., C.B.F., "/an/"

quote"

In many cases a physical impossibility "unquote.

The rupee had become so distorted that it would, in 1933,

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purchase TWICE as much as it had purchased in 1924, namely
nine years before that.

And this to our fascist and latin mind, goes to show
that the British system had NOT found the perfect
solution for India,

had not succeeded in setting up a perfect
or even adequate system for governing India; despite
all the ornaments lavished on India by earlier rulers,
and living rajahs, and despite the increase of railroad, and
irrigation equipment.

The identity of interest between the
people of India, and the city of London had NOT been proven,
and Lord Willesden's sense of honour was insufficient to
cover the rift. Even though was very inch an
aristocrat. And even though Mr Ghandi was already at lea leisure
to mediate in the calm of prison confinement, on the nature
of economics, or of holiness.

And the enigma as to why the Viceroy
should have interviewed Sig? "ea; or, have it the other way
if you like why Sig. "ea was received by the Viceroy,
still remains for the future historian.
remains unsolved

In 1934 there were
comparatively few font page headlines starting with
bold face remarks about Usury.

Sir W. de P. Webb frankly stated that:

"quote" Producers are obviously
the most important section of the community. Their difficulties
and needs should rank before all other in the considerations
of Government."

unquote.

WASLHHEHFWHTHHLDELOLHATREAOHHFORHHHHH

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Perhaps England's failure to take count of this view is at the root of some of the hard feeling in India.

respectfully yours Julian Bingham