"India: A Mine of Gold"

A RETIRED police officer, who had opportunities of working in one of the wealthiest Native States of India, has been writing to the British papers expressing his indignation at Sir William Meyer for not taxing the people heavily in order to contribute funds to the war. He writes: "India is an almost untouched mine of gold. Is sir William Meyer to stand in the way of that wealth being utilised at the time of the Empire's direst necessity"? Evidently this retired official has got a big banking account and thinks every Indian also has-forgetting that the average annual income of the latter is Rs. 28 only and the majority are permanently indebted. Yet he says "India is an untouched mine of gold," and it should be kept open for the advantage of Great Britain. Nobody should stand in the way. We do not know if this opinion prevails largely among retired officials. We have seen the suggestion often made that Indian's contribution to the war is inadequate but such critics have no inside knowledge of India or of her people's economic condition.