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421
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
6
43530
(No. 545.)
30
No. 30.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
MY LORD DUKE,
(Received 3rd September, 1923.)
[Answered by No. 35.]
Ceylon, 8th August, 1923. WITH reference to Your Grace's despatch No. 330, of the 30th May, 1923,* with which you transmitted a copy of a telegram received from the Ceylon Indian Electorate Association relative to the two seats which have been recommended for the Indian community in the Legislative Council in connexion with the new scheme of constitutional reform, I have the honour to forward a memorial which has been addressed to you by a large number of members of the Indian community, praying that the elective principle may be adopted in respect of the two seats in question. This memorial has been transmitted by the President of the Ceylon Indian Electorate Association, a copy of whose covering letter, dated 2nd July, is also
attached.
2. The above-mentioned Association is a newly-formed body of growing importance, and its political views appear to be similar to those of the Ceylon Indian Association, which is the oldest and the most influential body of this nature.
8. The Indian Association of Ceylon mentioned in your despatch No. 303, of the 18th May last,t is a separate organization, and is not so influential as the Ceylon Indian Association. I take this opportunity to forward a copy of a letter, dated 11th July, which has been received from the Indian Association of Ceylon. It will be seen that this body urges that the adoption of the elective principle should be postponed for some time to come.
4. The matter was fully discussed at a meeting of the Executive Council held on the 31st July, and the members unanimously expressed the opinion that both the Indian seats in the reformed Council should be filled by means of election. I have caused the present memorialists to be informed that it is proposed to fill the two seats in this manner.
5. I would add that I am of opinion that the representation of the Indian community in Ceylon by two members in the Legislative Council is sufficient.
I have &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 30.
W. H. MANNING,
Governor, &
31
3. Considering the numerical strength of Indians and their vast and diverse interests in the Island, your memorialists are constrained to say that the two Seats allocated to them are inadequate.
4. Your Lordship, in paragraph 14 of your despatch to His Excellency the Governor, dated the 11th January, 1923, recommends, as regards the method of selecting these communal representatives steps should be taken to estab- lish machinery for the election of Indian and Mohammedan Members, should both or either of such communities desire it." It is abundantly clear therefrom that Your Lordship is of opinion that the system of representation by nomination is a solecism which should be discontinued.
5. From their past experience of representation by nomination your memo- rialists are strongly opposed to the continuance of such a system, and therefore demand that Members for both the Seats allocated to them should be elected-one to represent Indian interests in urban areas, and the other in rural areas and that electorates for that purpose should be formed immediately if representation should fulfil its object.
6. Your memorialists are not unmindful of the difficulties in the formation of electorates, but they beg to point out that such difficulties are not greater than those met with in the formation of other electorates, such as the European and Burgher Electorates.
7. Regarding the qualifications of Indians to be voters, it should be borne in mind that, excluding the working classes of people and ordinary labourers on the estates, the bulk of the Indian population in the Island are business men, and will be qualified voters by reason of literacy and income qualification. the estate population-which comprises a fairly large number of kanganies, sub- Even among kanganies, tea-makers, conductors, and estate clerks no less than 16 per cent. are literate, and have income qualification, and also no less than 10 per cent. have property qualification.
8. As for the capacity of Indians to exercise elective franchise, and to choose the right type of men to represent them, your memorialists may be permitted to say that they are already exercising this right in the matter of election for Muni- cipal Councils and Local Boards in the Island, and that this right will also be extended to them under the New Scheme of Reforms in respect of elections for all Territorial Seats in the Legislative Council.
9. In regard to the contention that Indians form a floating population, your memorialists beg to state that while the number of those domiciled in the Island is not insignificant, those who leave the Island, except in the case of a certain per- centage of coolies, return to it after a visit to their country. Europeans in the Island are not better placed in this respect, but this fact has not militated against electorates being formed for them.
10. A statement of figures of the Census of 1921, in so far as they have a bearing on the Indian population in the Island, is hereto annexed.
In conclusion, your memorialists beg that Your Grace will be pleased to grant their reasonable demands; for which act of justice your memorialists, as in duty bound,
Will ever pray,
(Here follow signatures.)
Colombo.
June, 1928.
To His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, K.G.,.
His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Downing Street, London.
THE MEMORIAL SUBMITTED FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE INDIAN COMMUNITY IN THE ISLAND OF CEYLON.
MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH :
1. In view of the impending changes in the Constitution of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, your memorialists, for themselves and on behalf of the rest of the Indian population in Ceylon, consider it incumbent on them to place their views before Your Lordship in regard to the two Seats allocated to them under the New Scheme of Constitutional Reforms.
2. Before doing so, they beg to thank Your Lordship and His Excellency the Governor of Ceylon for giving them an additional Seat in the Legislative Council under the New Scheme.
No. 18 in Cmd. 1900. † No, 22705,29: not printed.
C.O.
Reference :-
882/10
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