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It will be seen that all members recognize the importance of the Tamil interests in Colombo and the Western Province, and that the majority are strongly in favour of the special provision for a seat for Ceylon Tamils in Colombo and the Western Province. I likewise wish strongly to support the proposal, which I hope may be given effect to.

Rural, three seats. Colombo Revenue District.

trict. Negombo Revenue District.

I recommend the adoption of this proposal.

Kalutara Revenue Dis-

7. Though not included in the subjects for consideration by the Committee, the members proceeded to express an opinion on the desirability of a territorially. elected majority in the Council. I am not in favour of this proposal, which would merely mean that Government, together with the communal and nominated members, would be outvoted by the Singhalese and Tamil communities should they choose to combine; a very unsatisfactory state of affairs and one which would be greatly resented. An unofficial majority has already been conceded, and is by these pro- posals increased from a majority of 9 in the present Council to a majority of 23 in the proposed Council.

8. In regard to the composition of the rest of the Council, I desire to recom- mend that :-

1. The European members should retain the seats they now possess, i.e., three.

2. The Mohammedan community should receive three seats.

3. The Burgher community two seats.

4. The Indian community two seats.

5. That the three nominated seats as now provided for should be retained.

6. That the Official members should number twelve.

Ex-officio members to be:—

Officer Commanding Troops.

Colonial Secretary.

Attorney-General.

Controller of Revenue.

Colonial Treasurer.

Nominated Official Members to be ordinarily.

Principal Collector of Customs.

Principal Civil Medical Officer.

Director of Education.

Director of Agriculture.

Director of Public Works.

Government Agent, Western Province.

Solicitor-General.

The composition of the Legislative Council would then be :-

Tinofficial.

Official

Territorially-elected

Communally-elected, or* nominated Nominated

21

11

3

12

47

*Should it be found difficult at first to complete a scheme for electoral areas

within a reasonable period.

Majority of unofficial members Territorially-elected members

Remainder

Distribution of territorial seats:-

Singhalese

Tamil

Total

23

21 26

14 (of which 6 seats are provided for Kandyan areas.)

21

9. As regards the Kandyan community. they will now be included in the general electorate, though it might be desirable, should they be unsuccessful at the polla, to provide representation for this community out of the proposed nominated sesta.

10. As regards the Mohammedan community the question of electoral areas will present some difficulty, except that in the Eastern Province one seat out of the

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three set apart for this community should in my opinion be allocated to the inhabi- tants of Batticaloa South; and it may be necessary at first to continue, as regards the other two seats, the system of nomination, for which provision should be made in the event of its being found impossible at the outset to evolve a suitable system for the Mohammedan electoral areas.

11.

As regards the Executive Council, since I have not received as yet any definite scheme for the modification of its existing composition, I can but recommend that it should continue as at present until some workable proposal has been put forward.

12.

In accordance with your request as set out in your Confidential despatch of 23rd May, 1922,* I enclose the particulars as desired by you in regard to the registered voters in Electoral Areas, and in this connexion I should remark that it has been stated that, when a revision of the voters' list is next made, it is believed that there will be a very considerable increase in the numbers who will register.

I have. &c..

W. H. MANNING,

SIR,

Enclosure 1 in No. 38.

Governor.

Bristol Hotel, Colombo, 3rd August, 1922. IN continuation of our conversation on the question of the distribution of seats allocated for the Northern Province in the proposed reformed Legislative Council, I have the honour to submit the following for your consideration.

Three schemes of distribution have been suggested by the allocation committee. You have drawn my attention to the very small number of voters that have been registered in the Districts of Mannar and Mullaittivu, and have expressed a desire that I should re-arrange, if possible, the distribution in the case of the two schemes by which 4 and 5 seats are allocated in such a manner as to form constituencies which will contain approximately equal number of voters, at the same time giving due weight to other matters which should be considered in effecting such divisions. The allocation committee, in formulating their schemes of distribution, have mainly considered the revenue and chief headman divisions, as it was thought that such an arrangement will be reasonable and satisfactory.

In the schemes which I would suggest, and which are described in the annexed statement A and B for 5 seats and 4 seats respectively. I have tried to minimise the defects of that arrangement by endeavouring to divide the province in such a man- ner as to form constituencies which may not differ very much from one another in point of population, economic interests, number of voters, similarity of interests among the people residing in the same constituency, etc.

The revenue districts of Mannar and Mullativu, though extensive in area, are sparsely populated. The electors are small in number, and, as pointed out by Your Excellency, there may be a reason on that account for adverse criticism of such a nature as was urged in the Reform debate in December last.

The social affinities, the trade relationship and the economic interests of the people of these districts are so different that they themselves will not be satisfied with the amalgamation of the districts into one constituency. The people of Mulla- tivu and Vavonia consists mainly of settlers from Vadamarachi and Tenmarachi divisions, and there is more frequent communication, both by land and sea, between Vadamarachi and Mullativu than between Mullativu and Mannar.

Mannar district lies contiguous to the Maniagara division of Punaryn and Thunakai. which has, according to the report of the allocation committee, been joined to Jaffna to form one constituency,

Communication between Jaffna and Mannar is very frequent, and the journey takes only from four to five hours by boat in good weather.

The interests of Mannar are not likely to suffer by its association with Jaffna for the purposes of representation.

I annex a sketch map of the Province showing the divisions I propose, and in the statements A and B, I have tabulated the population and numbers of voters in each.

His Excellency the Governor,

Colombo.

I remain, &c.,

W. DURAISWAMY.

365

* No. 14.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TICO. 882/10

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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