§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSON (Northumberland, Tyneside)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received any official information showing that the Indians, including Mr. Gandhi, were on the 17th October working on the market square of Volksrust at road-making.
§ COLONEL SEELYIt appears from a telegram from the Governor of 3rd November that Mr. Gandhi, who worked on an agricultural shows grounds digging holes for trees and weeding in a municipal plantation and the gaol garden, had never performed hard labour on the public streets. The telegram does not state whether this was true also of the other Indians.
§ MR. HAROLD COX (Preston)Was not this gentleman imprisoned for a purely technical offence?
§ COLONEL SEELYI have given all the information in my possession.
§ MR. BYLES (Salford, N.)Is Mr. Gandhi the gentleman who delivered an address to Members of this House here a year ago?
§ COLONEL SEELYI do not know, and I do not see how that affects the case.
§ MR. WEDGWOOD (Newcastle-under-Lyme)Is the hon. Gentleman aware that white people are not allowed to work with other people in the public streets, and cannot that arrangement be extended to British Indians?
§ COLONEL SEELYI will inquire.