112
EUROPE AND AFRICA
was sald to have “defamed” the Indians. In 1920, the Sec-
retary of the Colonies, Lord Milner, approved the segrega-
tion policy, the reservation of the highlands for the whites,
and the proposal that two Indians should be elected to the
legislature by a special franchise. In East Africa, Lord
Delamere obtained an amendment to the income tax law re-
quiring the keeping of accounts in English.! The Viceroy of
India intervened demanding a status for British Indians in
no way inferior to that of other British subjects, and propos-
ing “a common electoral rule and a common franchise on a
reasonable property basis, plus an educational test, without
racial distinction, for all British subjects.” 2
The Imperial Conference of July, 1921, recognized “that
there is an incongruity between the position of India as an
equal member of the British Empire and the existence of
disabilities upon British Indians lawfully domiciled in some
other parts of the Empire. The Conference accordingly is of
the opinion that in the interests of the solidarity of the Brit-
ish Commonwealth, it is desirable that the rights of such
Indians to citizenship should be recognized.” This resolu-
tion of the Imperial Conference alarmed the Kenya whites
who sent a delegation to South Africa to enlist the aid of
General Smuts. He refused to receive them officially, but
was otherwise sympathetic as became the head of a govern-
ment which had dissented from the resolution of the Imperial
Conference. Lord Delamere also headed a delegation to
London; and the Indians in London likewise nominated a
delegation to protest. The Convention of Associations held
a secret meeting in November and adopted an uncompromis-
! The Governor voted against the amendment, but did not require the
official members to vote with him. The object of the amendment was to
facilitate the inspection of books by the tax collectors.
2 Correspondence regarding the position of Indians in East Africa. Bret.
Parl. Papers, 1922, cmd. 1311. This was not the first time that the Govern=
ment of India had demanded equality for Indians.
