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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TUTIIT

C.O. 882 10

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

81303

No. 8.

MINUTES OF DEPUTATION TO THE RIGHT HON. VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B., G.C.M.G. (SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES), FROM CEYLON NATIONAL CONGRESS.

Colonial Office, Whitehall, S.W.1, Wednesday, 23rd June, 1920.

VISCOUNT MILNER was accompanied by :—

MR. H. C. GOLLAN, K.C.

MR. G. E. A. GRINDLE, C.B., C.M.G.

The Deputation consisted of :-

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM. MR. J. PEIRIS.

MR. H. A. P. SANDRASAGRA.

MR. D. B. Jayatilaka,

MR. M. W. H. DE SILVA.

MR. E. J. SAMARAWICKRAME,

MR. F. R. Senanayaka.

MR. T. B. KOBBEKADUWA. MR. A. F. MOLAMURE.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: We are grateful to your Lordship for giving us the opportunity of meeting you on behalf of the Ceylon National Congress. It is a very representative body which brought together at its meeting last December about 500 delegates from all parts of the Island. Our Deputation consists of nine members including Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Protestant and Catholic.

Among the Sinhalese delegates are two belonging to the Kandyan section of the Sinhalese people, Messrs. Molamure and Hobbekaduwa, both members of old and respected families in the Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces. Mr. Molamure is also President of the Kegalla Association and ex-President of the Kandyan 'Association. But they derive their authority to represent the Kandyan people before your Lordship from their nomination by large public meetings of the Kand- yans specially convened for the purpose. Mr. James Peiris is an ex-President of the Cambridge Union, and has taken the lead in all public movements in Ceylon for well over a generation. He has served on various Government Commissions, and for many years as a member of the Muncipal Council of Colombo. He is Presi- dent of the Ceylon Social Service League and ex-President of the Ceylon National Association and of the Low-Country Products Association. Mr. F. R. Senanayaka is President of the People's Association, the largest political body in the Island, and a member of the Colombo Municipal Council. Mr. Jayatilaka has long been engaged in educational work. He was for many years principal of the leading Buddhist College in the Island and the General Manager of Buddhist schools, over 300 in number. He was a member of the Ceylon Reform Deputation that waited on your Lordship last October. I may add that he is a distinguished Oriental scholar. Mr. Samarawickrame is ex-President of the Low-Country Products Association, the Ceylon National Association and the Ceylon Reform League. Mr. Sandrasagra is President of the Ceylon National Association, and is, like me, a Tamil. Mr. de Silva has been specially nominated by the Galle Association, the chief political body in the Southern province.

The demand of Ceylon for Constitutional Reform has been before your Lord- ship and your predecessors for many years In addition to several Memorials our claims were submitted to you by the Deputation of October last, and the resolutions passed by the Ceylon National Congress last December, which have been officially communicated to you. We have also within the last few days submitted a supple- mentary statement of our case for your consideration. The present Deputation has been sent from Ceylon with a view to explain and, if possible, remove any diffi- culties that may be felt with regard to our proposals, and to place before you our views on such proposals as may be formulated here. We accordingly asked, when applying for an interview, for particulars of the scheme of reform proposed for Ceylon. We feel rather embarrassed, as we do not know what that scheme is or on what points we need address ourselves to your Lordship. We would especially

ask that after such discussion as you may be pleased to have with us to-day, your Lordship will direct that the draft scheme be communicated to us for the expres- sion of our views; and we ask also that, when the scheme is finally adopted, it should include (as in the case of India) a declaration of the Government policy in regard to Ceylon reforms and a statutory provision for a development of that policy in regular stages.

We earnestly hope that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, when he visits India in the winter, will be pleased to extend his tour to Ceylon, gladdening with his gracious presence the hearts of His Majesty's subjects in the Island, and inaugurate the Reformed Council of Ceylon as he will do of India.

may add that two days ago I received the following cable from the National Congress Committee in Colombo: "Re Governor's announcement Ceylon Associa- tion Dinner, London Congress Committee met, re-affirmed disapproval representa- tion special interests, also nomination non-elected members Executive Council." We were not aware of any such announcement, and would ask your permission to address you on these points among others.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: I do not myself happen to have seen that announce- ment. Was there such an announcement?

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM : I do not know. We only got the telegram from Colombo.

MR. GOLLAN: I was present at the Ceylon Association Dinner. I am trying to charge my memory.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: The telegraphic service seems to be very bad. I got a telegram the other day from New Zealand remonstrating about something sup- posed to have been said, but which, as a matter of fact, was the exact opposite of what had been said on a totally different point. There may have been a mistake. I do not attach any importance to that because I know nothing about it. Of course what you have referred to are points of great interest. If you want to say anything more about them I shall be glad to hear it.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: May I ask, my Lord, have you got any scheme of Reform?

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: I certainly have not a Bill or anything approaching to one at present. The matter is under consideration. I am pretty familiar now with the principal points which have to be decided. There are two matters that you mentioned about which I should like to hear what you have to say. One of them was the Executive Council. As I understand you want unofficial members on the Executive Council.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: Yes, and selected from the elected members.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: You want to confine your selection to the elected members of the Legislative Council?

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: Yes. That is what is being done in India.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: There is a good deal of misunderstanding about India. I dislike very much dealing with any of these Constitutional questions by reference to some other place or country, even if it is a related country, where the conditions are wholly different. In India you are talking of Provincial Councils.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: Yes.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: But in India there is a supreme Government over the Provincial Councils. Therefore, you cannot compare this Ceylon Constitution with the conditions in India. Anyway, do not let us talk about India, let us talk about Ceylon.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: Ceylon is so constituted that it is an excellent field for making experiments which you could not have in India. The Royal Commission of 1883 specially pointed that out.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: I notice you quoted that Commission.

SIR P ARUNACHALAM : In a place that is free from complicated problems things might be experimented with.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: I do not like the idea of experiments. I hope any- thing we shall do will be more than experiments. It will be a great pity if we do

back anything that we shall have to go upon.

SIR P. ARUNACHALAM: Oh yes.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE: Just to come to this point about the unofficial mem- bers of the Executive Council, I can quite understand your point in pressing for unofficial members of the Executive Council; I can also understand your point in asking that they should be taken from the elected members of the Legislative Coun- cil: but I do not at all see why they should be limited to the elected members of the Legislative Council. You want to get the best men, do you not?