Lord Olivier on the Muddiman reports

CONSIDERABLE importance attaches to the views of Lord Olivier on the majority and minority reports of the Muddiman Committee, not only because he was only recently Secretary of State for India, but because it was during his regime that the committee was appointed. Indeed, it fell on him as Secretary of State not only to sanction the appointment of the committee, but to define the scope of its enquiry and the intentions of His Majesty’s Government in appointing it. In a famous passage which has again and again been quoted, he declared in unequivocal words that the enquiry entrusted to the committee was only a preliminary measure, and that it was the intention of the government to make the findings the basis for further effort. “Let us find out”, he said in effect, “how the Reforms have worked out in actual practice and what difficulties and defects have appeared on the surface. We will then go on.”  This, then, was the intention of His Majesty’s Government in appointing the committee of enquiry; and if the pledged word of one government in a matter of such transcendental importance is not to be treated as a scrap of paper by its successor, the present government and the present Secretary of State are bound to respect this intention. Equally are they found if not to accept, at any rate to attach due importance to, the views expressed by Lord Olivier, as the accredited spokesman in regard to Indian affairs of the late government, in regard to the findings of the committee. Those views are definitely in favour of an immediate revision of the Constitution and immediate advance towards full responsibility.