Perceptions of India in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

In the twentieth century newspaper articles in New Zealand demonstrated the sense of India being part of its family with shared interests. But there were still strong reservations on whether Indians were equal members of the British Empire. British arrangements to combat the 1930s Depression included Imperial Preference in trading and led to New Zealand fears that if India was given the same preferential tariffs that could have an adverse impact on New Zealand trade. Prejudices in New Zealand were formed by India’s moves towards independence and the potential impact on the British Empire. Would giving the ‘brown man’ equality cause trouble for the white dominions, such as New Zealand, which had laws giving preference to white immigrants?