Bombay govt and the excise duty

READING between the lines of his reply to the deputation from the Bombay Mill Workers’ Association, which waited upon the Governor on Monday, it is easy to see that His Excellency is not only in sympathy with the demand for the repeal of the cotton excise duty, but is in favour of the immediate withdrawal of that duty. “If the Bombay government”, said His Excellency, “was in a position to say to the mill owners that the excise duty would be withdrawn, provided they are prepared to agree to an enquiry into the management of the mills and accept the recommendation of such a committee, then I certainly consider that the government would be in a position to set up such a committee of enquiry as they suggested. Unfortunately, the decision with regard to the excise duty or any assistance to the mill industry in some other way such as by protection against dumping or unfair foreign competition did not rest with my government.” These words mean that the Bombay mill owners are not the set of unreasonable, irreconcilable people that the Viceroy virtually sought to make them out to be in his reply to the deputation that waited upon him at Simla to urge the repeal of the cotton excise duty. Sir Leslie Wilson made it perfectly clear that the mill owners would be prepared to meet the government and the workers half way if the government were ready to abolish the iniquitous duty on production. This statement on the part of the highest official in the province cuts the ground from under the feet of those officials who affect to believe that the repeal of the cotton excise duty would do nothing to solve the present problem or prevent the arising of similar problems in future.