PROTEST OF BEHAR MOSLEMS

To The Editor Of The Statesman

SIR, – The Mahomedans of Behar have convened a Conference of Behar Moslems to be held in the Town Hall here on the 28th and 29th August, 1918. The object of the Conference is to protest against the subordination of the all-India Moslem League to the Extremist Congress led by Mr. Tilak and Mr. C.R. Das and to re-assert the traditional Mahomedan attitude of the Aligarh School towards the Reform Scheme. A letter was sent some days ago to the Searchlight intimating the holding of the Moslem Conference, but publication of the same has so far been withheld. This circumstance throws a strange light on the inner working of the Congress organ of this Province. I now beg to ask you to be good enough to announce in your esteemed paper in its next issue that a  Conference of the Mahomedans of Behar and Orissa will be held in the Muzaffarpur Town Hall on the 28th and 29th instant to consider the Reform Scheme. The presidential address and resolutions will be forwarded to you for favour of publication in due course.

MOHAMED AKHTER, Vakil,

President, Behar Moslem Conference,

Muzaffarpur.

WAR SERVICE BADGES

To The Editor Of The Statesman

SIR, – I have read with interest, the report of the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, at which the Man Power question was discussed, and was most particularly interested in Mr. Crum’s remarks. There can be no doubt that the remark made by Mr. Crum represent the opinion of a great many men in India, who, owing to the fact that their services cannot be dispensed with, so far as their present occupation is concerned, are unable to offer their services for military duties. Any man whose services are considered of such importance that he is not allowed to leave his post in commercial work is one who is helping his country in this war, provided that his occupation is connected with an essential industry. In the United Kingdom, Munition workers are given a War Service badge, with a certificate accompanying it, and this enables one who possesses a badge to justify himself at any time. There is no reason whatever why something of the same kind should not be issued in this country.

MOFUSSIL.

CALCUTTA CARTS

To The Editor Of The Statesman

SIR, – The appeal of “Rusticus” in The Statesman of today is very humane and deserves every reasonable consideration on the part of the mercantile community. It would, however, not be possible in actual practice to do carting during the cooler hours of the morning and evening, instead of during the deadly heat of the day, because deliveries of goods from jetties, warehouses, etc., could not be obtained during the early hours of the morning, and as regards the evening, even if carting were possible, the practice would lead to a still greater number of thefts by carters themselves. With such an outlook facing the mercantile community they could hardly be expected to give their approval to the suggestions of “Rusticus,” humane as they are. Unless some safeguard could be enforced by a proper system of registration, to do away with wholesale thefts by cartmen of goods entrusted to their care, the protection sought to ameliorate the present conditions of bullock carting must necessarily be in vain.

PRO BONO PUBLICO.

Calcutta.