Item 1b - Copy of a letter from Sir Louis Dane to Sir Richmond Ritchie

Lahore.—Ramsay MacDonald in his Awakening of India refers to a Lieutenant Governor moving trees from one corner of his residence to the other at great expense, as an example of Government extravagance. Since this is apparently a reference to Dane himself, he is writing to explain what really happened to prevent further trouble. The Punjab Government was for many years under notice to quit Simla, so nothing was done for the Lieutenant Governor’s residence there, and it became necessary to enlarge it to accommodate chiefs and the Council. Part of a hill had to be cut away, where stood a fine old Himalayan cedar, which he attempted to preserve by transplanting. It was reported that he had spent thousands of rupees doing this, but the cost was only about Rs. 96. MacDonald appears to have been consistently critical of the Punjab [Government], which was, he admits, not popular for some time after 1900. Their presence in Simla is a grievance to other provinces, and the succession of Sir D. Ibbetson as Home Member in place of Sir C. Rivas and that of Sir J. Wilson as Revenue Secretary in place of Ibbetson caused some to feel that they had secured too many ‘plums’ and were making their revenue system felt too much. MacDonald falsely states that their revenue is one of the high-est in India, whereas it is one of the lightest. Dane was heavily criticised in India for resisting wholesale prosecutions for sedition, but the present peaceful state of the province proves that his quieter methods were suited to it. He writes in recognition of the support given him by the India Office and especially by Montagu over the Gulab Bono case. He is sorry that he was unable to see MacDonald for more than five minutes as he believes he is anxious to state the case fully, but he did emphasise to him that their land revenue is not a tax but a rent, and is glad to see that he is as strong on the point as a true radical should be.