LBLIC
། ། ། ། །
PECORD OFFICE
Reference -
C.O.882/12
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BF REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT 10:
| PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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the measures of taxation approved in your telegram No. 11. I did not, however, give details of the proposed taxation for reasons which I shall presently explain. I had on the day previous to the meeting of the Council communicated the substance of this statement to the Unofficial Members at a private meeting at which 1 emphasized more precisely the fact that the proposed additional tax would not fall on househoulders occupying houses under Rs. 5,000 in value. I did not, however, at this meeting give any indication of the form of the tax or the actual rates proposed.
6. On the 11th February the Unofficial Members in a body, including both Nominated and Elected Members, sought an inter- view with me and asked permission to hold a public meeting to protest against any further measures of taxation and also against the fact that the Unofficial Members had not been more fully con- sulted and their views given more weight in connexion with the measures already proposed. I expressed some surprise as to the proposal and pointed out that they had in each case been afforded a fortnight to consider the various measures between the time of their submission to the Council and their being passed, and that I had more than once assured them of my readiness to review and submit for your consideration any representations they might wish to put forward, though I had emphasized at the same time that in the present serious financial emergency such representations to be effective should contain alternative proposals which would be equally effective from the standpoint of economy. No such repre- sentations had however been made to me and no practical alter- native proposals had been mentioned. They admitted this while laying stress on the difficulty of framing alternative measures with the knowledge at their disposal (a difficulty which is of course substantial and real) and said that while they disliked the methol of "* public meetings the general feeling against the measures which were being taken and proposed had grown so rapidly and strongly that they feared that unless they took the initiative in the matter the leadership would be taken out of their hands and their own position as Unofficial Members, and particularly as elected representatives, would be undermined. They laid great stress on the strength of public feeling and urged the meeting as a means of allaying it and maintaining their own hold over the people: the Elected Members especially urging that their position was being made very disagreeable and was being weakened by the constant criticism and protest against their ineffectiveness in combating measures to which they were unanimously opposed. I said that I would consider the matter and let them know my views next day. I may explain that in Mauritius public meetings can only be held by permission of the Goverment.
7. In the interval I ascertained from inquiries that what appeared to be the actual position was that the members for Port Louis had determined to use the occasion for holding meetings of
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protest with a view to raising especially the question of a reform of constitution, on the ground that the action of the Government in pressing forward the various reorganization and retrenchment measures without consultation with the Unofficial Members made their position impossible and their influence nugatory. The other members were much less interested in the constitutional question but had been much alarmed at the taxation proposals and feared that if they left the matter to the Port Louis members their own position would be compromised and also possibly that public meet- ings organized by the Port Louis members alone would go very much further in the matter of constitutional reform than they them- selves were at all prepared to do. They therefore decided to make common cause to maintain their own position and also to satisfy their constituents that they were doing their utmost against the taxation proposals by which the well-to-do had been greatly aroused. I decided that it was not advisable to attempt to suppress the proposed meeting. A refusal to sanction it would certainly have produced some form of violent protest and probably resulted in attempts to hold the meeting in spite of the Government pro- hibition, which would have led either to an open flouting of the authority of the Government, or if an attempt were made to suppress the meeting, to a forcible clash, the consequences of which I therefore decided that I would it was impossible to foresee.
place no obstacle in the way of the meeting though I informed the members that I thought it was a matter for regret that if they entertained such strong objections to the action of the Government, they had not at an earlier stage formulated their views in a Demorial or other formal representation which could have been laid before you by telegraph.
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8. The meeting was held on the 15th instant as already reported and was very largely attended. An account of the proceedings is annexed together with the text of the resolutions* passed, the substance of which has already been reported by telegram. It was apparent that the "agitation was entirely confined to the possible
intelligentzia
"' interested taxpayers and a section of the Creole in the constitutional issue and that there was no feeling of unrest among the mass of the people, who however were glad enough to attend this or any other meeting which offered them a holiday sight and an occasion for hearing oratory. I fear, however, there can be little doubt that many misleading statements were probably made in the course of beating up the audience. The meeting was very orderly and good humoured.
9. There is no doubt that the proposals for direct taxation are the primary and principal cause of the protest movement and 'that all other issues are secondary to this. While the general measures of retrenchment are naturally disliked, and the reorganization
* Not printed here.
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