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no reason to suppose that it would ever be necessary to exercise such powers; but it will, of course, be understood that I shall be free to take measures for the re-enact- ment of the clause if, contrary to expectation, experience should prove that it was required.

17. Resolution XIII proposes the addition of a proviso to clause 52 of the Order in Council.

I have no objection to this proposal.

18. While I have not found myself able in every case to accept the proposals. contained in the resolutions discussed by the Council, the concessions which I have indicated do, I think it must be admitted, constitute a real advance in the direction of popular government. Members of Council must, I think, have realized in the past Session that they possess great powers of control over the administration, particularly in questions of finance; and I rely upon a continuance of their loyal co-operation under the extended powers which it is now proposed to confer on them. 19. I suggest that you should now lay before the Legislative Council this despatch, and your despatch to which it replies, and should at the same time take -steps for the appointment of the Committee, proposed in resolution 8. When I receive the report of that Committee and have considered any further observations which the Legislative Council may desire to offer, I propose to submit to His Majesty the draft of an Order in Council amending the Order in Council of the 13th August, 1920, in the directions indicated above.

I have, &c.,

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL.

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Enclosure in No. 8.

A JOINT MEMORANDUM OF THE EUROPEAN, BURGHER, TAMIL, MOHAMMEDAN AND Indian Members of the Legislative COUNCIL. of Ceylon on the Re-constitutION OF THAT COUNCIL.

(21st February, 1922.)

In view of the very complicated and confusing situation in which the question of Reform of the Legislative Council has been left since the numerous divisions which took place on the 10th of December last, we, the undersigned members, repre- senting five out of the six communities therein represented, have mutually agreed to submit, for the consideration of His Excellency the Governor and the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a joint scheme which, we believe, will answer all the requirements of the people of Ceylon, and at the same time safeguard the Government of the country against the danger of being dominated by the spirit of faction.

The power of determining the public affairs of the Island is vested, at present, in the hands of the Governor and 37 members classified as follows:-

Official Members

14

Territorially-elected Members

11

Elected by the Burghers

Elected by the Europeans, including one elected by the

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

3

Elected by the Low Country Products Association

Nominated by the Governor to represent the Kandyan

Singhalese

2

1

1 B

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O.

Reference :-

882 /10

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

19071

SIR,

No. 8.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 24th April, 1922.)

[Answered by No. 14.]

The Queen's Cottage. Nuwara Eliya, 1st April, 1922.

I HAVE the honour to forward a Memorandum from the communities repre- sented in the Legislative Council, other than the Singhalese Low Country and Kandyan communities, connected with the allocation and distribution of seats in the Legislative Council.

2. These communities are:-

The Tamil,

The Burgher,

The Indian,

The Mohammedan.

The European.

The proposals put forward have been very carefully considered by these com- munities, and they are approved by the signatures of those who represent these communities.

3. As you are aware by my despatch of 1st March, 1922,* it is proposed that a Committee of the Legislative Council shall be appointed to consider the question of the allocation and distribution of territorial seats in the Legislative Council, and consequently it is necessary to await the findings of that Committee. The signa- tories to this Memorandum have, however, set out their views very clearly on the question of general representation in the Council, and are pledged to support them; and whatever may be the result of the meeting of this Committee I cannot but recom- mend that these proposals should in due course receive your very careful considera- tion, as being a well considered contribution to the settlement of a very difficult situation.

I have, &c.,

• Nu. B.

W. H. MANNING,

Governor.

Nominated by the Governor to represent the Mohammedans Nominated by the Governor to represent the Indians Other nominated members

This scheme of representation has not given satisfaction to any of the associa- tions of the people organized to protect their respective political interests.

Of these associations, the Ceylon National Congress, formed of delegates sent to Colombo for the most part by the Singhalese and Tamils, was of opinion that the Legislative Council should consist of about 50 members, that at least 40 should be elected according to territorial divisions, and that the remaining 10 should be com- posed of official members and unofficial members to represent important minorities; and by a resolution passed at its session of the 18th of December, 1920, it recom- mended that the country should return as members of the Legislative Council only those candidates who pledge themselves to support zealously the policy of the Congress to secure inter alia the abolition of all communal and special electorates, to merge them in the general territorial electorate, to distribute electoral areas, and to re-allot the seats in Council according to population, ability to read and write, and the possession of a certain income.

The overbearing methods of speech and action adopted by some prominent members of the Ceylon National Congress, and their threat to work actively, in every district where the Singhalese formed the main population, against any candi- date who was not prepared to take the Congress pledge, kept back many a man who was not imbued with the spirit of faction and whose rule of life was to consider things unselfishly and without fear or favour. The result was that all the candidates

who presented themselves at the poll in the Singhalese districts were Congress can- didates, that every one of them was a Singhalese, and that upon election they kept together in most of the divisions that took place in Council on the 10th of December last.

The Ceylon National Congress admitted the soundness of the principle that there should be adequate representation in Council of the several communities who form the body politic of Ceylon, and that such representation should be by election on the part of each of the communities concerned. stances of the medley of populations who inhabit Ceylon, it is impossible to concede But in the peculiar circum- the claim of the Congress that they should, one and all, have territorial electorates. To force such electorates on some of these communities, would be to do them grievous injustice and to bring about their political enslavement.

Colonel J. C. Wedgwood, M.P., who has always taken a keen interest in the welfare of Ceylon, was aware of the numerical strength of the Singhalese and Tamils, and believed that, as they formed together the vast majority of the people.