190
Province.
Western Province-
City of Colombo
Southern Province
14
PROPOSED Legislative COUNCIL.
No. of
Members
132
The rest of the Province
Central Province
2
Northern Province
3
Eastern Province
Uva Province
Sabaragamuwa Province
North-Western Province
North Central Province
1
Europeans
2
Burghers
Mohammedans
Total elected members...
21
Official members
12
Total members in the Legislative
Council
39
711
72
as against the present number 22, of whom 4 elected, 12 official (including the Governor President) and 6 nomi- nated unofficials.
CO
12. The President, it is submitted, should not be the Governor, but there should be a Speaker elected by the Council. The Royal Commissioners of 1831 specially recorded their disapproval of the Governor being President, as the discussions of the Council and exposing its members to influences unfavourable 'involving him in to the independent discharge of their legislative functions." The wisdom of this recommendation has been proved in the history of the Council. It needs exceptional detachment and breadth of view, tact, and courtesy, such as Sir John Anderson has shown, to reconcile the people to a Governor, or any ex officio President.
13. As for the reform of the Executive Council, it was in 1903 the subject of a unanimous resolution of the Legislative Council and of a despatch to the Secretary of State from Governor Sir West Ridgeway, who recommended the appointment of two unofficial members to the Executive Council "as tending to satisfy the public opinion which is in favour of more effective representation in the government of the Colony," and "as it would formally place at the disposal of the Government advice and information which is not always possible to obtain from official sources." How invaluable would such information and advice have been during the events of 1915! The Executive Council now consists of eight officials, an unnecessarily large number and not making for efficiency; it includes executive officers whose acts it is the duty of the Council to supervise and control. The Executive Councils of the vast Presidencies of Madras, Bengal, and Bombay have only four members each. memorialists are of opinion that in Ceylon the number of members should be reduced to four, exclusive of the presiding Governor, and that two of these should be unofficials elected by the unofficial members of the Legislative Council.
The
14. The memorialists beg to be permitted to make a brief reference to the important subjects of local self-government, education, and the employment of Ceylonese in the higher ranks of the public service. On the subject of local self- government they would point out that the Commission recently appointed by His Excellency the Governor has in its recommendations failed to provide what the memorialists consider essential for the due working and usefulness of local bodies (including municipalities), viz., a majority of elected members and an elected chair- man. In India it has been long recognized that without these essentials there is little chance of the institutions affording any effective training to the people in the management of local affairs or of promoting real interest in local administration, that there is no sufficient inducement to good men to give up their time and attention to the transaction of public business, that Government control should be exercised
15
rather from without than from within, and that this system opens to officials a fairer field for the exercise of administrative tact and directive energy than the more automatic system which it supersedes.
15. The memorialists desire to draw special attention to the highly unsatis- factory condition of education in the Island, though it is the root of all national life and progress, and to the necessity for a wide extension of elementary and secondary education, the immediate establishment of a university, and an adequate contribution from the Island's revenue to carry out these objects effectively.
16. As to the employment of Ceylonese in the higher ranks of the public service, the memorialists complain that, though in theory the Ceylonese have equal and even preferent rights to high appointments, in practice Europeans are almost invariably preferred. The memorialists beg that steps may be taken to ensure that the practice conforms to the theory. It is not merely that a just distribution of places of honour and emolument, by satisfying legitimate ambitions, promotes the contentment of & people. The experience and knowledge gained in the higher branches of the public service is carried away by every retiring European official and is absolutely lost to Ceylon to its great detriment.
17. The memorialists, in conclusion, beg that Ceylon may be represented by a Ceylonese at future meetings of the Imperial Conference to enable her to safeguard her position in the conflict of interests among the members of the Empire, and that the Imperial Government will be pleased to declare to the people of Ceylon, as they have declared to the people of India, that the goal of British policy is the establish- ment of responsible government in Ceylon as an integral part of the British Empire. and to grant the reforms asked for as a first step towards that goal.
is now
18. It is the hope and prayer of the memorialists that the terrible War which being waged will end in a complete victory for Great Britain and her Allies. In the world-wide Empire of our Sovereign, with all its vast and varied interests in every part of the globe, there are many matters which press for consideration, and various schemes of political reconstruction are engaging the attention of the Govern ments and peoples of England and other parts of the Empire, and the memorialists have deemed it their duty to submit to you their views and prayers.
19. The memorialists are grateful to you for the assurance given to the Ceylon Reform League and the Ceylon National Association that you will discuss personally with His Excellency the Governor the whole question of the Constitution of Ceylon. They are firmly convinced that the granting of their prayers will be deeply appreci- ated by a loyal and progressive people conspicuous for their devotion to the Throne, and will promote the efficiency of the administration, increase the happiness and contentment of the people, and strengthen the foundations of British rule.
And your memorialists as in duty bound will ever pray.
This memorial, adopted at a conference held on the 15th of December, 1917, at Colombo, of the various political associations in the Island, is signed by us on behalf of the conference.
10528
(No. 130.)
No. 7.
P. ARUNACHALAM,
Chairman of the Conference.
W. A. DE SILVA,
D. R. WIJEWARDENE,
Secretaries.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.
Downing Street, 16th March, 1918.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 7, of the 5th January last, and to request you to inform Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam that I have received the letter signed by himself and two others, as chairman and secre- taries respectively of a conference of various political associations in the Island, held at Colombo, regarding the reform of the Legislative Council of the Colony.
I shall await your observations on this memorial.
I have, &c,,
WALTER H. LONG.
B 2
* No. 6.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
C.O. 882/10
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |