PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
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to become cash collections in time—and it would have been better if he had done so Mr. Whitefoord would, perhaps, not have made the mistake which he appears to have made. At the same tinie, I must point out that the figures R. 2,155 are not given in Mr. Le Mesurier's Administration Report.
Paragraph 20.-I do not see why I should shield-if a shield were necessary-one "fellow-civilian" more than another; and it is unkind, not to say malicious, in Mr. Whitefoord to make the suggestion. Mr. Le Mesurier, a brother civilian, introduced what I still deem to be an impracticable method of collecting the grain tax, a method which was to apply not to then existing arrears only, but to the collection of the tax in the future. Sir John Dickson set aside the arrangement with, as I believe, the cognizance of the Government. I maintain that Sir John Dickson was right,
Paragraph 21.-This also is nearly a repetition of the remark appended to the Colonial Secretary's letter, No. 924, of the 16th ultimo, and I beg to refer to my reply thereto.
Paragraph 22.-I do not gather to what part of my report Mr. Whitefoord here takes exception.
REMARKS On Mr. WHITEFOORD'S LETTER to the "CEYLON OBSERVER," dated
14th October 1889.
Paragraph 3.-It is certainly true that after Mr. Whitefoord had been for some time present whilst inquiries were being made touching the fields sold and when he proposed to retire I volunteered to record whatever information he could afford; he offered no objection whatever to making a statement at that time, and I had no idea that it was inconvenient to him to do so; on the contrary, knowing that he had come from some distance, I broke off the inquiry in order to save him the trouble of a second visit. My original intention had been to close my inquiry at Nildandehinna before asking Mr. Whitefoord to attend, but he came to the bungalow unsolicited, and I took advantage of bis presence to receive his evidence.
I may say, therefore, although not asked in this instance, that this complaint does surprise me.
What Mr. Whitefoord's examination amounted to the statement appended to my report shows.
I examined him in reference to the letter written by him to the Ceylon Observer," an extract from which appears in paragraph 18 of my report. Mr. Whitefoord's evidence was recorded on the 11th July, and on the 26th of that month he wrote to me as follows:-
"I have now the honour to enclose for your information the names of 63 persons who "have died from want and starvation owing to the sales of their paddy fields. I regret "that I have not been able to furnish you with this list earlier, and, if "send you more names of people who have died, the information being obtained from I can necessary, " various sources.' Comparing this and Mr. Whitefoord's personal statement to me with his first letter to the "Ceylon Observer," I see no reason to alter a word of what I have written in my report. And I would put it to any candid friend, or any friend of Mr. Whitefoord, whether there is anything in the letter under remark which relieves him from the charge of having ventilated exaggerated, and made misleading, statements.
Mr. Whitefoord never asked me for the Assistant Government Agent's report; I believe that he requested my Assistant to show it to him, for Mr. Le Mesurier inquired of me after Mr. Whitefoord had given his evidence whether he might let him see it. I told Mr. Le Mesurier that as Mr. Whitefoord seemed to take so much interest in the question I saw no harm in his allowing him to read the report, as between friends, provided that he did not make use of the information or let it be the subject of commu- nication to the newspapers until after it had been sent to and had been published by Government. I have been under the impression and believe that the draft of Mr. Le Mesurier's letter dated 22nd July was then read by Mr. Whitefoord.
"1
Paragraph 4.-Mr. Whitefoord is piqued at my characterising the statement in his first letter to the "Ceylon Observer as serious exaggeration, and here says that I did not believe his evidence. Such is very far from being the case. that Mr. Whitefoord said to me at Nildandebiona. Paragraph 18 of my report is surely I fully believe everything sufficient to show that I was quite prepared to accept any information which Mr. White, foord could give otherwise than from hearsay.
Paragraph 5.--All that I can say is that Mr. Whitefoord has not, as a matter of fact, given to me, either verbally or by letter, any information arising out of his personal knowledge of the subject matter, which would throw any light on this question, nor is there any such information in the communication under remark.
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In conclusion, I beg to observe that if it had been the fact that sales of villagers' property had been habitually and uniformly carried out under Mr. Whitefoord's eye the harsh manner described; if it had been the fact that owing to such sales scores of villagers died of starvation, to use his own expression, "at his feet, as it were,” and if villages close to his residence had been decimated from the same cause, surely Mr. Whitefoord would not have stood by and made no sign when, as he says, his only aim is to see the natives righted. Seven years have passed away since the proceedings complained of were commenced; many of those interested in the fields sold have died; the two revenue officers responsible for the administration of the district at that time have left the island, one of them permanently; and the Government have already long since, on the motion of the present local revenue officer, adopted measures to assign land to those dispossessed by the sales; surely, then, it is rather late in the day to make an effort to "right" the villagers. And in what way does Mr. Whitefoord seek to have those villagers righted? What does he ask the Government to do for them? He makes no suggestion beyond attacking the policy of Government in levying grain tax throughout the island.
EXTRACTS referred to.
[EXTRACT from Letter addressed to Assistant Government Agent, Nuwara Eliya.]
Mr. Whitefoord, of Maha Uva, makes the following complaint :—
*
I then asked to see the report of the Assistant Government Agent, but was told by the Honourable Commissioner (meaning myself) that as he had not received the report at that time himself, he could not show it to me.'
"
2. You may remember that on the day when Mr. Whitefoord came to Nildandehinna, after I had recorded what he had to say, you came to me and asked whether your report, which had been written and was almost ready for despatch, could be shown to Mr. Whitefoord, as you entertained doubts. I said that on the understanding that the information was not made use of until the publication of the report by Government, I did not see any harm in Mr. Whitefoord being allowed to peruse it. Mr. Whitefoord remained in the room where you were at work for some time thereafter, and I have remained under the impression that he did then read your letter. I shall feel obliged by your informing me whether I am right or in error in entertaining this impression.
correct.
SIR,
(No. 924.)
[EXTRACT from Assistant Government Agent's REPLY.]
I have the honour to inform you that your impression of the matter is
Enclosure 3 in No. 5.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Colombo, October 16, 1889.
I AM directed by the Governor to transmit to you the accompanying copy of notes made by his Excellency on your report on the alleged deaths from starvation in Walapane, and to request you to be so good as to furnish your observations in reply to them.
The Hon. R. W. D. Moir,
Government Agent, Kandy.
I am, &c. (Signed)
NOTES referred to.
A. M. ASHMORE,
For Colonial Secretary.
Par. 17. I am not sure that this is an altogether fair comparison. A comparison between the mortality of two large, wealthy, and populous districts would hardly be affected by even the total disappearance of a village here and there among them. The true comparison would be between the mortality of several villages of about the same population during a series of years.
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