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Madura is represented in the Central Parliament by a Communist M.P. I noticed from the train acre after acre of land devoted to produc- ing rice, and it made a wonderful study of beautiful shades of green. But the condition of workers looking after these paddy fields I can only describe as dreadful. December 26. H OW good it is on this day to get up feeling so splendidly alive and vigorous! Feeling so virile and clean inside and outside. No headaches, hangovers, or pains in the tummy through over-eating. Or is it? Anyhow, here we are. My table is adorned with telegrams and cards from Marjorie, Jean and Brian, the comrades at King Street, and from friends in India I do not know. They all make a very colourful show indeed. Worked all day studying the materials of the Party Congress, and had an exchange of opinion with the Central Committee about the position in our respective countries. Just time before darkness fell after a sweltering day to go round the city of Madura. What a vast contrast with other cities I have visited. It might be on another continent. Different and darker type of skin; more scantily clothed because of the heat. Women with what I thought hideous gadgets on their noses and ears. Oh, what poverty! What a contrast between the magnificent build- ing which houses the Bank and Haroys, the textile manufacturers. What soul-searing poverty and festering sores within the shade of the famous 900-year-old Madura Temple. What workmanship, craftsmanship and labour went into the pro- duction of this temple and the King's Palace-and nowhere for hun- dreds to lay their heads. I find it impossible to rhapsodise about art when before me is a long, dreadful queue of half-starved men, women and children waiting to be handed a bowlful of soup. I cannot work up any feelings of awe as I look on the huge sacred tank, when all around it are little children with their swollen bellies, and beggars looking hideous with alleged "religious" white paste plastered all over their faces. What I have seen today are conditions no human beings were ever meant to experience. No wonder the working people here have such splendid traditions of struggle. No wonder the Red Flag flies over one working-class area I visited, and there are none who dare pull it down. When I got back to my room I read the newspapers, and came across a speech by the Chief Minister of Madras, Mr. C. Rajago- palachari, deploring "petty thieving," and impressing upon the people their duty " to respect their conscience." 22 Good God! After all the robbery that the British imperialists have carried out and the robbery by rich Indian princes, capitalists and landlords at present, that piece of "advice" is a piece of infernal impudence if ever there was one. What a colossal task the Communist Party has in face of all this poverty, squalor, misery, caste and religious differences to improve the working and living conditions of the Indian masses. The third congress of the Indian Communist Party opens in the morning. December 28. O N the way to the congress hall this morning I ran right into a shift of men and women textile workers coming out of the great Harvey Mill. I had seen such scenes in Lancashire many times; indeed, once upon time I used to come out of Benson's Mill myself. But how different this scene was. The women in saris were like every colour of the rainbow, and the men in scanty whites. How different these workers looked and conducted themselves after the thousands of other people I had seen in Madura. These workers looked proud and strong, and certainly form the strong heart of the city. The actual road to the congress was lined with cheering crowds, and tonight they seemed to be greater than ever. The main business of the congress today has been to discuss the many amendments which had been sent in to the Programme of the Communist Party of India. One wanted to delete a reference to a "single popular assembly" and substitute "a House of the People and a House of Nationalities." Another amendment was moved on behalf of the steering commit- tee of the congress, and it wanted to add to "use of Hindu as an all- India State language will not be compulsory" the words, "but will be encouraged for State intercourse and trade." It is quite clear that certain tendencies of nationalism are quite strong in certain delegations, and also any Englishman would have no illusions about how this congress is convinced that British im- perialism is the main enemy. Finally, the programme, after amendment, was placed before the congress for its final decision and received a unanimous vote amid scenes of great enthusiasm. At this point the six delegates from the Communist Party of Ceylon were introduced to the congress on their arrival and given a great ovation. The next item was the Political Resolution of the Central Commit- tee and the report of Comrade Ajoy Ghosh, the general secretary. The debate will be resumed tomorrow. I have now so many mosquito bites, I am convinced not only have I been bitten by every mosquito in India, but that fraternal delegations of these pests are being organised from many other countries. 23

The congress was greeted with important news this morning, when all the newspapers gave publicity to the fact that in the important elections which are to take place for the Travancore-Cochin State Legislative Assembly, an agreement had been reached between the four Left Parties to present a united front to the Congress candidates. December 29. FRATERNAL greetings read and applauded enthusiastically by the delegates to the Indian Communist Party congress included messages from: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, of China, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, the Labor-Progressive Party of Canada, the Workers' Party of Poland, and various groups in South Africa and India. Fraternal greetings were also read from the Hungarian Workers' Party, British, Indian, Ceylonese and Pakistan students in London, and from a group of Durham miners to the miners of India. I was then called upon to convey the fraternal greetings from the Communist Party of Britain, and received an ovation in tribute to the work of our own Party. The hall is colourfully decorated, and a huge Red Flag has the hammer and sickle on it in a kind of silver paint. The weather is terrifically hot and I admire the close attention and discipline of the delegates in remaining in their place throughout the sessions. The congress proceedings opened this morning with Comrade Wickremasinghe conveying the fraternal greetings of the Communist Party of Ceylon. His speech was received with tremendous en- thusiasm. The debate was then resumed on the Political Resolution. Every phase of the resolution was thoroughly discussed with a highly critical note running throughout the discussion. Among the topics taken up were the respective roles of British and American imperialism, the economic and agrarian crisis, the united front, the slogan of a united democratic government, issues connected with the question of people's democracy, linguistic problems, the struggle on the ideological front (on which I thought one of the best contributions was made), weaknesses in the Five Year Plan, and neglect of the agrarian problem. Many amendments had been put in on the Political Resolution and the evening closed with discussing the first of such principal amendments. December 30 and 31. I HAVE just read a news item that in the prohibition area of South India there had been over one million cases tried in the courts for violation of the prohibition laws. It must be a well-dug underground movement that has completely eluded me. 24 On my way to the congress hall, I noticed a blind man being led by a child of about six years of age. The child's care and tenderness to the blind man as he led him up the steps of the post office, telling him where to place his feet, was most touching to watch. A very long and interesting discussion developed at the congress on the absence in the political resolution of a fundamental statement on the agrarian problem. Scores of amendments had been put in on this vital issue, but it was recommended by the Steering Committee that no discussion could take place until the Central Committee placed its considered agrarian policy before the Party. That did it, and the delegates really let themselves go. They stated they had heard there were differences in the leadership on this issue. They demanded to know what they were, and that the Party Congress had the right to discuss them. The upshot was that a document be laid before the congress giving the opinions of many comrades leading the Party work in the villages and also a statement setting out some of the principal political differences which existed, and that time would be found for a special discussion. After watching the congress proceedings very closely for four days, it is quite clear the delegates are in a very critical mood and not prepared to take anything for granted. Fraternal greetings were read amid the most enthusiastic scene I have yet witnessed in this congress, from the Communist Party of Pakistan. This was as it should be in view of the tense situation between India and Pakistan, which has arisen out of the proposed U.S.-Pakistan alliance. Interesting were the contributions made on the question of trade union unity, and I was especially glad to note the serious and thought- ful contribution made by a woman M.P. on the importance of the Party's work in the Central Council of States, House of the People, and the State Assemblies. She is one of the few women delegates present at the congress. After three-and-a-half days' discussion the Political Resolution as amended was adopted. January 1. WOKE up early on this New Year's Day and wondered what 1954 will bring. A knock on my door, jumped out of bed, opened the door to be greeted by the members of the staff of the guest house where I am staying. They all wished me a Happy New Year, placed a beautiful garland round my neck, and presented me with the traditional token of love and affection—five limes from each one of them. Very nice and thoughtful. They had let the New Year in with fruit, and Barney usually does it with a piece of coal. Coming home very late last night, I was again horrified at the 25

number of beggars in the streets, and the number of people sleeping in the streets. I gather from the newspaper this morning that the problem of beggars and homeless people is very acute in the South of India, and that in Madras alone it is estimated that 7,500 beggars are operating in the streets. I mentioned this figure to a comrade from Madras and he said it was a gross under-estimation of the actual number, as everybody living in Madras would confirm. It is heart-breaking to see them. I only hope some of the old Indian hands on the steamer going home will start telling me of " the progressive and beneficient role the British have played in India". The Congress opened this morning with the reading of fraternal greetings from the Communist Party of Indonesia, amid great applause. Discussion was then resumed on the resolution on Party organisa- tion after a clarification of certain points in it by the general secretary. I was struck by the splendid speech of a woman comrade, in which she showed the great positive role the women of India have to play, and why the Communist Party should give greater attention in help- ing the women comrades and in winning more women into member- ship of the Party. It was then announced that many amendments had been received to the organisation resolution, and it was decided to refer both the resolution and the amendments to the new Central Committee. I had had an interesting exchange of opinion with the ten women delegates, and learned much from it. I undertook a number of obligations on behalf of our own Women's Department, which I am afraid will keep them busy for some time. A night session of the Congress commenced at 9.30 p.m. and ended at 12.30 a.m. It was on the very complicated problems arising out of the agrarian crisis and there was tremendous interest in this dis- cussion which at one time looked like lasting all night. However, in the end the document introducing this discussion was also referred to the new Central Committee. So back to my hotel. I tried to count from my window in the car how many people were sleeping in the streets. I had to give it up. There they lay, men, women and children, amid dirt and filth, with cows and donkeys walking on them and over them, with rats crawling round them. Dreadful! And that ended my New Year's Day. January 2. TODAY delegation after delegation at the Communist Party con- gress asked me to visit their provinces and towns to address "the largest demonstration you have ever seen." I would be in India another year if I accepted these requests. It's a bit thought-provoking, however, when one comrade used what he thought was a clinching argument why I should stay. He 26 said, "Comrade Harry, you are an old man, and this may be your last chance to visit us." Well, well. That shook me. The congress opened this morning with a resolution on the Pakis- tan Pact with the U.S. There was no doubt from the discussion of the concern of the common peoples of India and Pakistan about the proposal of the U.S. to tie Pakistan to its war chariot. After an exhaustive discussion in which stress was laid on the importance of strengthening peaceful relations between the working peoples of India and Pakistan, the resolution was adopted unani- mously. Fraternal greetings were also received from the Workers' Party of Rumania, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, and the fraternal delegate from the Communist Party of French India also conveyed greetings. This makes a total of 26 fraternal greetings received by the Third National Party Congress of the Communist Party of India, revealing the importance attached to the key position India now occupies in the international situation, and the work of the Party. A resolution was adopted demanding the release of all political prisoners, and one protesting against the refusal of the Indian Govern- ment to give visas to the fraternal delegates of the Communist Parties of Australia, France, Indo-China and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. There was a late session of the congress tonight, commencing at 10 p.m. and ending at 5 a.m. At this session the new Central Com- mittee was elected, and also the new Control Commission. The Communist Party of Madura organised a cultural evening and I would dearly like to have gone, but a stern sense of duty made me attend the congress. I am told it was a remarkable success and was attended by over 40,000 people. Tonight, in preparation for the congress rally, every street in Madura seems to have red flags out and illuminated five-point stars with the sickle and hammer on them. Across every street there is bunting and at many points arches welcoming the delegates have been erected. I saw one tonight, "Wel- come to Harry Pollitt." It looks like being a great day tomorrow. January 3. WELL, well, it has turned out to be quite a day. As I went through Madura on my way to the Communist Party Congress, I found the town literally transformed. You talk about decorations for a coronation. They weren't in it. Every house and shop, rickshaws, stalls, windows, buildings and streets were red with flags and bunting. The delegates, after ending last night's session at five o'clock this morning, look a bit tired (I know I was) as the congress session was opened. 27

The chairman announced that the central committee had unani- mously elected Comrade Ajoy Ghosh as general secretary of the Communist Party of India. I was then asked to give my impressions of the congress, which I did. We now had to get ready for the procession and congress rally. Now I've written many times during my tour of India (and I've thought it a lot more)" There can be no more surprises for me." I was mistaken. As we walked to the starting point of the procession I noticed thousands and thousands of men, women and children were already lined up to march. It looked as if there was a veritable ocean of red flags moving in the breeze. Forty to fifty thousand people had come from every little town and village within a hundred miles of Madura. Hundreds of bullock carts, packed with peasants and their families, had travelled through the night. Thousands had walked all night. Hundreds upon hundreds had climbed on trains going to Madura without tickets. The railway officials had asked for extra police so that all these people could be made to pay their fares before they got out of the train. The railway workers let the crews of these trains know about this decision, and the trains were stopped just outside Madura and the people without tickets just got off the trains and walked away. Lovely piece of work! While waiting for the procession to start, I noticed that one of the many sacred temples with which Madura seems to abound was decorated with red flags and some of the officials were holding red flags in their hands. So I asked my interpreter to come with me while I asked a few questions. I only asked one, however, and that was: "Why are you holding red flags? Are you Communists?" to which I received the illuminat- ing reply: "We are not Communists, but the working people here do not get sufficient wages to live upon. There are too many unemployed, and when there is little money about there is less for our temple and we sympathise with the Communist Party because it fights for the poor." At 3 p.m. the procession moved off, headed by the elephant covered with the red flag and its keeper sitting with two red flags crossed in his hands. I never saw a man who looked so proud, dignified and "monarch of all he surveyed " as that man on the elephant. I spoke, but how I wished I could speak in the Tamil language to this overwhelming crowd of people who had demonstrated this day their love, affection and trust for and in the Communist Party of India and what it means to the working people of India. So came to its close a day such as I have never witnessed anywhere in the world before, and which will be enshrined in my memory as long as I live. 28 So ends my programme in India. I hope my visit has strengthened the bonds of Peace and Friendship between the British and Indian peoples. I hope I have convinced those who have spoken to me, and the many, many thousands I have spoken to, that there is another Britain than that of the Hastings, Clives, Dwyers, Mountbattens, Lytteltons and Churchills. Everywhere I have been received with such respect and affection. Nothing has been too much for the comrades to do for my comfort. I appreciate it more than mere words can convey, and I have looked upon it as a tribute to the British Communist Party. Now I'm dead beat. Tomorrow we start the long journey home. January 4 and 5. THE congress officially ended at noon. The comrades responsible for the technical arrangements filed past the delegates, who ex- pressed their warm appreciation of the tireless efforts put in. Our veteran Indian comrade, Mirajkar, known to so many British trade unionists, then asked the delegates to stand and sing the Inter- nationale. So ended another unforgettable experience in my life. At 6.20 p.m. we boarded the train for Madras, after some moving scenes with the staff of the guest house where I had been staying and we were on the first stage of the long journey to London. Arrived at Madras at 6.20 a.m. Going through the streets in pour- ing rain, I thought half the population of the city must be sleeping in the streets. It's wicked to have to look upon such scenes. The plain fact is that it was in Madras and Calcutta that the British first established their footing, and it is still precisely in these cities that I have seen the worst conditions for the working people. A wash-and-brush-up, then breakfast, during which, in the Victoria Hotel (Oh, shades of the old imperialist British Queen), the greatest wrestler in India was presented to me. What a giant! I meet Comrades Ghosh and Dange, who have come to see me off at the airport. Leave Madras at 11.20 a.m., and arrive after a rather bumpy passage at Bombay about 3.15 p.m. The barometer shows 91 degrees in the shade. I had read in the plane that on the 3rd there was a heavy fog in London and that some football matches had to be cancelled. Met some old friends at the airport, and then off to an hotel in a car which I was informed, once it started, under no circumstances must stop in case it never started again. I observed with a watchful eye what went on during the drive, and came to the conclusion that the London taxi driver knows nothing about ins and outs, and is the most polite and thoughtful driver in the world compared to the driver that I had. Some articles to write. Just about finished when the comrade who has looked after my welfare, been everywhere with me, came rushing 29

Reunion into my room. Never have I seen the light of triumph shine so brightly in any man's eye. "Harry, I've got you a drink just as you are about to leave my native land. It's permitted by law, and we are not breaking any regulations. It's sold in all respectable shops." He produced a bottle of Hall's wine! The label said it was good for "improving appetite, overcoming fatigue, irritableness, depression, shortness of breath, dyspepsia, con- stipation, and certain forms of skin trouble." Though I have none of these ailments, especially the last one, it tasted like nectar to me, despite the fact that it is manufactured in Bow, London, E.3. I even forgot how when I worked in Towlers Boiler Shop in Bow in 1919, I used to hold my nostrils when going over Stink Pot Bridge to get there. January 6 and 7. I HAD a haircut today that really makes me look a bit of a criminal. Then I did some shopping. Went into Cook's to cash a traveller's cheque. It was a C.W.S. one. They do not do business with the C.W.S., but kindly told me where I could cash it. Went to the National Bank of India; noticed with some slight trepi- 30 dation that all the guards carried rifles. Hoped it was not because of me. Bank officials very nice. C.W.S. a good name, and I came out with the doings. It went like a house on fire. I never discover how many relatives I have until I go abroad. Had a nice lunch and lay down for forty winks, which turned out to be a dead-beat sleep lasting four hours. Went to a reception. Met many prominent citizens, all of whom (pardon my modesty) thanked me for my speeches about peace and warning of the danger to India of the U.S.-Pakistan military alliance. Back to my hotel. Phone ringing and ringing asking for press in- terviews. Will I be glad to get on the Strathmore? I'll say I will. I have an idea that when I do, I shall wake up at Aden. But we shall see. On January 7 I got on board the Strathmore at 11.30 a.m. The comrades very disappointed that I would not allow any big send-off. But I was firm about this. Comrade Sanyal, who has travelled all over India with me and looked after me with such great care, came with me. Went down to my cabin. Very nice and roomy. We shook hands. Soon I am besieged by Indian pressmen wanting me to give them my impressions of India. I did. Then lay down and fell asleep until I heard the ship's siren. It was 3 p.m., and I found we were moving from the dockside. Remained on deck until Bombay was out of sight. Went to sleep again. Woke up in time for dinner. Then paced the deck for a while before realising prohibition was over. In bed by 9 p.m., and let there be no mistake, I slept the sleep of the just—sans mosquitoes, lizards and flying beetles. So another chapter in my life has ended. I can only hope I did some good while in India. 31

by HARRY POLLITT Selected Writings and Speeches 6/- 10/6 Serving My Time 5/- Labour—What Next? 3d. The People on the March 3d. by R. PALME DUTT The Crisis of Britain and the British Empire 25/- Britain and the Colonies 3d. Obtainable from progressive suppliers, branches of the Communist Party, or direct from CENTRAL BOOKS LTD. 2 PARTON STREET, LONDON, W.C.1.

The British Empire WHAT IT IS! "The Empire is Commerce. It was created by Commerce, it is founded on Commerce, and it could not exist a single day without Commerce." Joseph Chamberlain. Published by the League Against Imperialism and for National Independence 1D.

Exploiting One Quarter of Entire THE British Empire is a vast slave colony, upon which the British ruling class battens. Millions of square miles have been forcibly an- nexed, stolen or bought. Millions of human beings have been reduced to bondage for centuries. The total area of this slave camp on which "the sun never sets" is 13,909,782 square miles, equivalent to one-quarter of the earth's surface, with an estimated population of one-quarter of the entire human race, i.e., 493,370,000. These toiling and oppressed millions exist under the domination of a hand- ful of "whites," 46 million being the population of Great Britain. The remainder include some 360,000,000 in India and Ceylon, 40,000,000 Africans, 6,000,000 Arabs, 6,000,000 Malays, 1,000,000 Chinese, 1,000,000 Polynesian and, among others 100,000 Red Indians in Canada. The British Empire is equally dis- tributed over the northern and southern hemispheres, but unequally distributed east and west, two-thirds lying east and one-third in the west. Constitutionally the Empire consists of: (1) Great Britain. (2) The Indian Empire. (3) The Dominions: Commonwealth of Australia (with mandate over Papua territory of New Guinea), the Dominion of Canada, the Dominion of New Zealand (with mandate over Western Samoa), Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa (with mandate over South-West Africa), the Irish Free State. (4) Colonial Possessions in Africa: Basutoland, Bechuanaland, British Cameroon, Gambia, Gold Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Nyasaland, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, British Somaliland, the Sudan, Swazi- land, Tanganyika, Uganda, Zanzibar. 2] Human Race (5) Colonial Possessions in West Atlantic: The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Falkland Islands, British Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Windward Islands. (6) In Asia: Borneo, Ceylon, Hong- Kong, Malaya, Sarawak, Burma. (7) Other Colonies: Channel Islands, Cyprus, Fiji, Gibraltar, Malta, Mauri- tius, Pacific Islands, Palestine, St. Helena, Seychelles, Tristan da Cunha, Aden. Mandatory Spheres: Parts of the former German colonies in Africa and the former Turkish government of Palestine. The Dominions are "self-governed," the other "possessions" are despotic- ally governed from Whitehall. EMPIRE FOR WHAT? The British Empire, conquered by the sword and governed by the sword, exists to provide the British exploiters with raw materials for their industry, cheap food for the industrial population, markets for their manufactured goods and an advantageous reserve for in- vesting their surplus capital. INVESTMENTS The amount of British capital in- vested overseas in Dominion and Colo- nial Government loans in 1933 was esti- mated at £1,061,262,000, the income of which was £45,137,000; in Municipal Loans £85,828,000, the income of which was £4,001,000;in railways £251,400,000, the in- come of which was £7,476,000, with a fur- ther sum of £91,000,000, with an income of £4,650,000, according to "The Economic Journal" September, 1935, it is estimated that British capital employed in all forms of oversea investment is calculated at the end of 1933 to be £3,666,000,000, and an estimated income of £158,300,000. A glance at the figures for ten years of British trade with the Empire coun- tries will tell its own tale. During the period 1924-1933, the Empire bought from Great Britain £2,604,239,649 worth of goods and sold to Great Britain goods to the value of £2,937,554,679. In order to see how much the British ruling class depends upon its colonial countries we must examine these colossal trade figures in more detail. Let us take the exports and imports of private merchandise of India alone for 193334. The imports into India during this period were valued at £86,537,000, of this amount 41.3 per cent. was ex- ported from Great Britain, whilst the exports of India were valued at £109,738,000, of which 31.8 per cent. was exported to Great Britain. Peasants Get Less but Have To Pay More RAW MATERIAL During the last five years prices of agricultural products have shrunk by almost fifty per cent. "But neither Government nor the money-lenders' demands have been reduced proportionately. More- over, the imposition of heavy import duties on all foreign goods that cul- tivators need makes the position of agricultural interests in India still more precarious." "Indian Finance," March 2, 1935. There has been no such decrease in the prices of manufactured imports, as can be seen from the following examples: - COURSE OF PRICES FOR COLONIAL PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURES (i.e., iron and steel products controlled by monopoly organisations) IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURES (EXPORT PRICE) Steel Rails per ton £ End of: 1929 ... ... 8.50 1930 ... ... 8.50 1931 ... ... 8.50 1932 ... ... 8.50 1933 ... ... 8.50 1934 ... ... 8.50 Jan., 1935 ... ... 8.50 June, 1935 ... ... 8.50 Tin Plates per box s. d. 18 9 15 6 14 6 16 0 16 7½ 18 2 18 2 18 2 Galv. Sheets per ton £ s. d. 12 12 6 11 5 0 11 5 0 11 15 0 10 10 0 11 5 0 11 5 0 11 5 0 Iron Bars per ton £ 10.75 10.75 10.00 9.75 9.75 9.62 9.62 9.62 COLONIAL PRODUCE Coffee per cwt. s. d. End of: 1929 165 0 1930 122 6 1931 112 6 1932 94 0 1933 72 0 1934 73 6 Jan., 1935 75 0 June, 1935 75 0 Sugar (B.W.I.) per cwt. s. d. 22 3 20 6 19 10½ 17 4½ 18 9 18 7½ 18 6 17 6 Cocoa per cwt. s. d. 62 6 49 6 46 0 42 0 35 0 42 0 38 0 38 0 C. Oil per ton £ 34.00 25.50 25.00 23.00 17.00 20.00 23.00 23.5 Rubber per lb. d. 8.06 4.25 3.31 2.42 4.25 6.40 6.00 5.93 Tea per lb. d. 13.12 14.25 10.18 7.31 13.84 11.34 10.37 9.87 Jute per ton £ 27.75 15.50 19.25 14.75 15.62 16.94 17.37 20.25 [ 3 * Restriction schemes operating.

"Held by the Sword" — "We did not conquer India for the benefit of the Indians. I know in missionary meetings it is said that we conquered India to raise the level of the Indians. That is cant. We conquered India as the outlet for the goods of Great Britain. We conquered India by the sword, and by the sword we shall hold it. (Shame!) "Call it shame if you like. I am stating facts. I am interested in missionary work of that kind, but I am not such a hypocrite as to say that we hold India for the good of the Indians. We hold it as the finest outlet for British goods in general and for Lancashire cotton goods in particular." LORD BRENTFORD (SIR W. JOYNSON- HICKS), reported in the "Daily News," October 17, 1925. 4 ] 1919 MASSACRE at Jallianwalla Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab. April 13—troops fire into unarmed crowd— killed 379, wounded officially estimated at "possibly three times the number of deaths." 1921 PRINCE OF WALES landed in Bombay. Workers demonstrate against him—53 Indians killed—298 wounded. After the Moplah rising hundreds of prisoners were packed in goods vans—80 died of suffocation. 1922 CHAURI CHAURA rising—228 peasants were subsequently sen- tenced to death, and 19 were hanged. 1929 DISTURBANCES through use of Blacklegs in Bombay—116 killed, 700 injured. INDIA HELD BY THE SWORD 1930 CALCUTTA, April 1, 5 killed, 50 injured. Peshawar, April 23, 65 killed, 150 wounded (Garhwali Riflemen re- fused to shoot down unarmed workers). Sholapur, May 8, 25 killed, 100 wounded. 1931 CAWNPORE, March 24, 141 killed, 386 wounded. 1935 KARACHI, March 19, 47 killed, 134 wounded. AJRA, 7 peasants shot down. POLITICAL PRISONERS 1930-34 80,000 political prisoners Horrors of Child Labour CHILDREN ON TEA PLANTATIONS The practice throughout Indian planta- tions varies considerably. At least one association admitted that, on the planta- tions of its members, "children aged 4 or 5 were all working children." Another association declared that it had no policy on the matter, and that indi- vidual members exercised their own dis- cretion. As a result, where one manager admitted that children started work at 4, 5, or 6 years of age, and another that they started on light tasks as soon as they could walk, yet others stated that their children did not become workers before 9, 10, or even 11 years of age. The normal practice seems to be to allow children to accompany their parents at any age, their earnings being added to those of their parents, although in some gardens the managers are accustomed to send home young children found at work with their parents. In many areas children are not normally entered separately in the wage books as employed persons until about 10 years of age. TEA PLANTATION WORKERS "No limit is imposed on individual earnings and in some cases workers have been able to earn as much as Rs. 1 (1s. 4d.) or even Rs.1/4 (1s. 9d.) in a day. "No official statistics of average earnings are available, but we were informed by the representatives of the Docars Planters' Association that the average monthly earnings in 1929 were Rs. 12/4/1 (£1 0s. 9d.) for men, Rs.10/5/8 (14s.) for women, and Rs.2/14/5 (4s.) for children." "The representatives of the two Planters' Associations admitted that there was an understanding among their members not to raise the rates of wages." Assam Valley: The average monthly earnings in the Assam Valley are Rs.13/8/7 (1) for men, Rs.11/1/7 (14s. 6d.) for women, and Rs.7/8/6 (10s.) for children. Surma Valley: Average monthly earn- ings in the Surma Valley are Rs.10/11/0 (14s.) for men, Rs.8/6/1 (11s. 6d.) for women, and Rs.5/6/2 (7s.) for children. Madras Presidency: Basic rates per day (1 anna is a little over 1d.): Men, 7 annas; women, 5 annas; children, 3 to 4 annas. Death Rate Double that of England DEATH RATE Deaths from plague in India 1910-14 1,503,878. In 1918 11,000,000 died of influenza. Death rate for India in 1931 was double that of England and Wales, Sweden and Switzerland, three times that of Aus- tralia and New Zealand, one-and-a-half times that of France, Hungary, Spain and Portugal, two-and-a-half times that of the Netherlands, Canada and South Africa (white population). [ 5

Massacre of the Mothers MATERNAL MORTALITY British India: 15.4 maternal deaths per 1,000 births—4 times that for England and Wales. Percentage of Revenue spent on Maternity and Child Welfare in different provinces—nil to 2 per cent.; in some exceptional cases, 5 per cent. CHILD MORTALITY Of the total deaths in British India 48.7 per cent. were of children under ten years of age, while in England and Wales this proportion was only 13.6 per cent. INFANTILE DEATH RATE British India: 178.8 per 1,000 live births —2¾ times that for England, Wales and South Africa; 5½ times that for New Zealand; 3 times that for Switzerland; 3½ times that for the Netherlands; 2¼ times that for France; and more than double that for Germany. Peasants Who “Live” on Three Farthings a Day How precarious is the life of those who depend upon agriculture for a livelihood is seen from the following extract taken from a leading article in the “Manchester Guardian,” January 17, 1935:— “The wages paid to the Indian peasantry are barely credible by outside standards; figures for a typical group of farmers in the Punjab show that the average net income per man fell from about ninepence a day in 1928-29 to about three farthings a day in 1930-31.” Such is the “Empire,” where mil- lions die each year of “fever”— starvation. 6 1 THE BODIES of three Bombay workers shot dead by police during a strike. MINE WORKERS The following facts are quoted from the Whitley Commission's Report:— “The average monthly earnings of a coal cutter are in the neighbourhood of Rs.10 to Rs.15 (13s. 6d. to 20s.):” (This refers to the Jharia Coalfield, which is considered the best in India.) In the stone quarries throughout India the daily wage varies from 5 annas (pence) to 8 annas for men and 4 annas to 5 annas for women. STRIKES The total number of working days lost during 1934 due to strikes was 4,775,559. Population of India 352,837,778, of whom 321,628,003 were illiterate (1931 Census). The “BRIGHTEST JEWEL” of the Crown “It is only when you get to see and realise what India is—that she is the strength and greatness of England—it is only then that you feel that every nerve a man may strain, every energy he may put forward, cannot be devoted to a nobler purpose than keeping tight the cords that hold India to ourselves.” LORD CURZON, “Life,” Vol. I., p. 193. IN this Empire, India is by far the largest and most important possession from the point of view of imperialist ex- ploitation. It is a rich, fertile country, possessing vast natural resources. And yet, after 177 years of British rule, there is a mass illiteracy, grinding poverty, misery, disease, and merciless exploitation for the mass of workers and peasants, whilst the British investors squeeze from India an annual tribute of some £100,000,000. In order to drain this wealth from India the mass of workers and peasants have been subjected to a reign of raging terror. To-day, in India, Empire Day celebrations will be organised under the shadow of aeroplanes and machine guns; there are certain parts of India which are perman- ently under martial law. Hundreds of political prisoners are tor- tured and lie rotting in Indian prisons. More than a thousand Bengal youths are in the concentration camps of India with- out trial. Working-class leaders are arrested and kept under restraint or deported without trial, whilst the dreaded Andaman Islands devour the political prisoners. To-day in India there is no freedom of speech, press, or organisation. EXPLOITATION The working class of India are forced to labour under most barbarous con- ditions. Only for a very limited number of workers are the hours of labour limited to 10 per day; the rest work 14, 16 or more. The Royal Commission on Labour Con- ditions in India is a condemnation of the exploitation by the agents of the exploiters, whilst other official reports show that out of 86,417 women workers employed in the mines over 14,000 work underground. The Mines Inspector's report shows the employment of 8,548 children under 12 years of age in the mines. “Miners' wages in 1931 were cut by 33 per cent., the aver- age wage being reduced from 9d. to 6d. per day.”—“ Capital” (a Calcutta paper), January 7, 1932. The recent India Mines (Amendment) Bill provides that the hours to be worked above ground, along with any intervals for rest, shall not on any day spread over more than eleven hours and the hours under ground shall not on any day spread over more than nine. In unregulated factories, such as tan- neries, carpet and bidi factories the worker toils any number of hours for slave wages; as the Royal Commission report states: “The length of the working day being de- termined by the workers' own poverty.” [7