The cablegram bears oub what I have said in my letter to Sir George Barnes* and what I said at the recent meeting at Pooija. The restrictions are clear I. No further holding of landed property in the Transvaal ; 2. No new or ad a licences within the area affected by the Gold Law and the Townships Act ; 3 the present) holders and their successors in bide to be restricted as to trade to the townships in which they aru now trading.
As I have already remarked, this means virtual ruin of the Indian settlers in the Transvaal. Their only means of livelihood to the largest number is trade, and the largest number of Indians is to be found probably within the gold area. If the Act? stands, they must die oub in the natural course.
- In the course of the correspondence between Mr, Qandhi
and Sir George Barnes, Mr, Qandhi wrote:
Do you know that the Indians of South Africa raised an ambu- lance corps which served under General Smuts in South Africa? la tjiis new law to be their reward ? I ought not to bring in war services in order to secure the protection of an elementary right which considerations alike of honour and justice entitle them to. I commend to your attention the report of the Select Committee of the Union House of Assembly.
The Union Government, unmindful of their trust and equally unmindful of their written word, accepted the amendment "prohi- biting the holding of mortgages by the Asiatics on property except as security for bona fide loan or investment and providing tbat any Asiatic Company which acquired fixed property after the 1st instant should dispose of the same within two years or a further period as fixed by a competent Court with a rider that in the event of failure to do so the property might be sold by an order of the Court." I am quoting from Router's cable dated 23rd May from Capetown. You will see this completes legalised confiscation of property rights throughout the Transvaal and virtually the trade rights within the gold area of the Indian settlers. There was no evasion of Law 3 of 1885. Indians did openly what the law permitted them to do, and they should be left free to do so. I do not wish to prolong this tail of agony. The Government of India are bound to protect the rights of the 5,000 Indian settlers in the Transvaal at any cost.
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