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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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C.O.
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882/10
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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(1)
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F. SUGGESTION VI.
"That the disqualification by reason of dismissal from the Government Service be limited to cases where the dismissal has taken place in consequence of an offence involving moral turpitude; and as regards disqualification by reason of imprisonment the same provisions do apply as in England for Members of Parliament."
(2) There was practical unanimity amongst members of Council on this question, and I submit it for your favourable consideration.
(1)
G.--SUGGESTION VII.
"As regards the qualification of voters, that (a) imprisonment be not a disqualification after the period of imprisonment, (b) the qualifying residence in an electoral area be reduced from one year to six months, (c) the franchise be widened by the reduction of the property and the income qualifications."
(2) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of this suggestion were agreed to without a division, and I have nothing to say against effect being given to them.
(9) As regards paragraph (c), which was negatived by twenty-seven votes to ten, there was considerable divergence of opinion amongst the Unofficial members. The minority of ten was composed of six territorially elected members, the Member for the Low Country Products Association electorate, the nominated Indian member, and the two nominated Kandyan members, and the arguments adduced by them merely referred to the fact that, in their opinion, the property and income qualifications were too high; they did not propose any definite alternatives.
The majority of twenty-seven was composed of the fourteen official members, five members elected on a territorial basis, the three European members, the Burgher elected member, the Mohammedan member, and the three nominated Burgher, Singhalese, and Tamil members.
(4) In the circumstances, I do not, for the present, recommend any alteration in the property and income qualifications of voters, as I do not feel that we have had sufficient experience of the working of the existing franchise to be able to form a definite opinion as to the direction in which these qualifications should be varied. H. SUGGESTION VIII.
(1) That the distribution of seats in the territorial electorates should be as follows:-
Colombo Town Colombo District Negombo District Kalutara District Galle Town ... Galle District Matara and
Districts
3 seats
Nuwara Eliya District
1 seat
1 seat
Province of Uva
1 seat
1 seat
Ratnapura District
1 seat
1 seat
Kegalla District
1 seat
1 seat
North-Central Province
1 seat
1 seat
Jaffna Town
1 seat
Hambantota
Jaffna District
3 seats
1 seat
Mullaittivu and Vavuniya
1 seat
Districts
1 seat
1 seat
Mannar District
1 seat
1 seat
Batticaloa Town
1 seat
1 seat
Batticaloa District Trincomalee District
1 seat
1 seat
Puttalam District
Chilaw District
Kurunegala District
Kandy Town
Kandy and Matale Districts 1 seat
(2) This suggestion was not moved in the form in which it is set out above, but with the leave of the majority of the Council there was substituted another sugges- tion which, in the form in which it was finally submitted to the Council, read as follows:-
"That a scheme for the allocation and distribution of seats in territorial electorates should be made on the recommendations of a Committee of this Council appointed for the purpose."
(3) The minority who objected to this substituted suggestion were the two Tamil members for the Northern and Eastern Provinces, respectively, for the very obvious reason that the important concession of nine seats, and possibly of a tenth seat (ie., for the Puttalam District) made in the original suggestion does not appear in the substituted suggestion.
(4) On the substituted suggestion being put to the vote it was carried without a division, and I recommend that the suggested Committee be appointed.
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(5) I was under the impression during the course of the debate, and even while the form of the suggestion was being discussed immediately prior to its being put to the vote, that the mover of the resolution was desirous that this Committee should be appointed forthwith, and should at once proceed to deal with the questions set out in the suggestion. Other members of the Council were under a similar impres- sion, but since the debate came to a conclusion I have seen the mover of the resolu- tion (the Hon. Mr. James Peiris), who informe me that such is not his wish, but that he desires that this suggestion should he submitted to you with the other suggestions appearing in his resolution. I regret this decision of Mr. Peiris, as it must in all probability entail a delay of some months before a Committee can be appointed to consider the scheme for the allocation and distribution of seats, which is obviously the most important item of all these suggestions. I most sincerely trust that this Committee, in the course of its deliberations, may be able to reconcile the many divergences of views which emerged in the course of the debate.
(1)
I. SUGGESTION IX.
That all persons, irrespective of race, resident in any electorate other- wise qualified be entitled to vote for the election of a member or members to represent such electorate."
(2) This suggestion was unanimously adopted by the Legislative Council, and
I strongly recommend its acceptance by you. It is, in my opinion, a most important suggestion which, I trust, may in the course of time produce that feeling of soli- darity amongst members of the different communities which is so essential for the proper working of Parliamentary institutions.
J.--SUGGESTION X.
(1) "That the Executive Council should consist of the Governor, as President, and three members, with whom shall be associated three ministers entrusted with portfolios, chosen from members of the Legislative Council elected on a territorial basis."
(2) In supporting this suggestion, the Hon. Mr. Peiris stated unequivocally that he did not argue that these Ministers should be members of the Executive Council or exercise any executive functions, but only that they should be associated with that body and be put in legislative charge of measures dealing with certain branches of public business.
(8) In the course of the reply made on behalf of Government. it was pointed- out that the suggestion threw no light on the important questions of the relations of these Ministers to the permanent heads of Departments, of the manner of their appointment and tenure of office, and of the authority to which they were to be responsible.
(4) Personally, I was unable to gather precisely what the exact meaning of this suggestion might be, and in the course of the debate it was made no clearer. I stated, in my concluding remarks, that any proposal by means of which unofficial members, whether territorially elected or not, could be given the opportunity of learning duties in connexion with the administration of Government Departments, which would be of advantage to them when this Colony attained to the stage of full Responsible Government would be carefully considered, but I am not in a position to make any recommendations in this connexion, since no scheme has been placed before me, which, so it appears to me, has not in it many defects that would render it unworkable in practice.
(5) I further stated that in my opinion the suggestion, as described by the mover of the resolution, referred to the final stage of Responsible Government rather than to the intermediary stage now under consideration.
(6) The mover of the resolution admitted the force of the criticisms made on his suggestion, and stated that he would endeavour to formulate a clearer and more definite scheme. It may therefore be possible to submit, at some later date, a work- able scheme for your consideration.
(7) The suggestion as moved was negatived without a division.
(1)
K-SUGGESTION XI.
"That sub-section 1 of section 5 of the Order in Council making provision for the appointment of nominated Unofficial members be repealed." (2) This suggestion was negatived by twenty-six votes to eleven, but the minority consisted of all the territorially elected members except one, and also of
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