The Secretary of State’s party, including the Hon’ble E.S. Montagu, Secretary of State, Lord Donoughmore, Chairman of Committee of House of Lords, Mr. C. Roberts, M.P., Sir William Duke, Member of the Council of India, Mr. M.C. Seton, Secretary, Judicial and Public Departments, India Office, Mr. Kisch, Private Secretary, and Mr. Persons, Assistant Private Secretary, landed to-day [November 9] at Bombay and proceeded shortly to Delhi. Surgeon-General Sir George Makins, President, Royal College of Surgeons, who is on an extensive tour of inspection of hospitals in India also arrived at Bombay from Home to-day. A correspondent of the Associated Press of India who arrived in Bombay to-day as an ordinary passenger by the same vessel as the Secretary of State, says that Mr. Montagu and the other members of his party all travelled unpretentiously like other P & O passengers, with whom they mixed freely on the voyage which was an uneventful one. None of the party allowed themselves to be interviewed on the subject of their mission on which Mr. Montagu is understood to have still an entirely open mind, his object in visiting India being, as already announced in Parliament, to discuss with the Viceroy and other authorities, officials and non-officials, in this country the best method of carrying out the policy announced on September 20th. He has brought no cut and dried scheme with him, and is desirous of hearing all sides before committing himself to any one set of proposals. It will be remembered, as the Viceroy has already stated, that he sent an invitation to Mr. Chamberlain when still in office and suggested that he should proceed to India this cold weather, and when Mr. Montagu succeeded to office, Lord Chelmsford transferred the invitation to him. Mr. Montagu is thus merely carrying out what had been proposed to his predecessor. The association with the mission of two such experienced and respected members of Parliament as Lord Donoughmore and Mr. Roberts, also of so broadminded an Anglo-Indian administrator as Sir William Duke and of so trusted a member of the Home Civil Service as Mr. Seton, should be a guarantee that the enquiry will be impartially conducted, and that no decision will be come to until all sides have been fully heard. No pronouncement of any kind can be expected for some time and probably not until after the return of the Secretary of State to England. No particulars of the places in India to be visited by the Secretary of State were procurable on board, nothing more being known there about the programme than has already been announced by the Government of India, but interviews granted by the Secretary of State to members of representative bodies and other persons of importance will usually be of an informal character and will not therefore be reported. Throughout his visit Mr. Montagu will act in the closest co-operation with the Viceroy and the Government of India.
Recruiting durbar.
At a recruiting durbar at Meerut [on November 7], Sir James Meston said that the war against German tyranny had now entered its fourth year and a great and final effort must be made for victory in which India meant to take her part. He pointed out that in August the United Provinces had provided in full the heavy demand for troops made upon it as did the Punjab. The number given was greater than the total from the whole of the rest of India except the Punjab. Meerut division had provided fully one-third of the whole provincial quota. Bullandshahr had proved the finest recruiting district and Meerut, second. Sir James Meston concluded with a reminder that the work before them all was still heavy and he appealed to them not to relax their efforts by every means to help the Empire to bring the world conflict to a victorious conclusion.
