My Mother — Page 76
76 military units were stationed in India. Their salaries and other expenses were defrayed by India and were included in the defence budget of India. In addition, India was charged with a certain proportion of the expenses incurred by Britain in connection with their recruitment and training. These charges were called Capitation Rates. For some time India had been urging upon Britain that the basis of the assessment of Capitation Rates bore harshly upon India, and it was decided to appoint a Tribunal to examine the question and report on it. The Tribunal was com- posed of the Chief Justice of Australia as Chairman, and two British and two Indian Judges as Members. It was to sit in London through the autumn. The Governor-General mentioned to me that Sir Philip Chetwode was keen that I should present India’s case to the Tribunal, but that Sir Samuel Hoare, the Secretary of State for India, desired that I should attend the Third Round Table Conference, which would be convened about the same time. I chose to go to the Round Table Conference. After the Conference, His Majesty’s Government presented a White Paper to Parliament, setting forth its proposals on Indian Constitutional Reforms, which was committed for considera- tion and report to a Joint Select Committee of both Houses. The Committee invited an Indian Delegation to sit with it and par- ticipate in the examination of witnesses. I was a member of the Delegation. The Committee started its sittings in the spring of 1933, and with a break for recess continued the examination of witnesses through the autumn. During the Committee’s recess, I led a small Indian Delegation to the Commonwealth Relations Conference, which was held in Toronto, Canada.