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the number of offices held in various Departments of Government by members of the Tamil community; of those in the Medical and Legal professions; of voters who were qualified to vote for the election of the "Ceylonese Member" under the former constitution, the number of voters contributed by about 600,000 Tamils being 1,346, as against 1,748 voters contributed by about 2,800,000 Sinhalese; the number of territorial_voters numbering 13,937 registered under the new constitution in the Northern Province, which contains a population of about 375,000, composed almost entirely of Tamils, compared with 20,822 voters, among whom were Tamils of not an insignificant number registered in the Western Province, including the City of Colombo, with a population of 1,253,000; and of persons honoured by the Imperial Government for great and distinguished public services.

5. Since that Memorial was forwarded, the result of the last Civil Service Examination held in Ceylon has been published, which shows that out of 24 can- didates who took up that examination, having been nominated by His Excellency, 12 were Ceylon Tamils, the rest being Burghers and Singhalese; that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th among them in the order of merit were Tamils of Jaffna, and that out of the four gentlemen selected as the result of that examination for appointment in the Civil Service, three are Tamils. It may also be mentioned in this connexion that there are now in the Indian Civil Service three Tamils of Jaffna. The third,member who has just joined that Service headed the list of successful candidates in the year 1920. No other Ceylonese community can claim the distinction of having con- tributed to that service so many members. It may also be stated in this connexion that the Tamils of Ceylon are employed in offices of trust and responsibility in very large numbers in several parts of the British Empire, especially in India, the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States.

6. The facts stated above would be enough to convince the Government of the importance of the Tamils as a community, and of the justice of their demand, namely, that in the allocation and redistribution of seats in the Legislative Council, they should have their former proportion of representation-two to three Tamil and Singhalese representation respectively-by a combination of territorrial and com- munal representation, although the former are not numerically entitled to such a proportion of representation.

7. Since the Memorial of the Tamil Mahajana Sabhai was placed in the hands of His Excellency, the reform debate in the Legislative Council, and the annual session of what is called the Ceylon National Congress have taken place, and the situation has in certain matters considerably changed. That debate has shown that there were serious differences of opinion in regard to important items of the Honourable Mr. James Peiris's motion, even among unofficial Members themselves, and it cannot be said that that motion was carried in the Legislative Council,

8. The strength and influence of the Congress depended largely on the co-operation of the Tamil community. But this community has seceded from that body by Resolutions of the Jaffna Association, the Tamil Mahajana Sabhai, the Colombo Tamil Association and other Associations, which represent the interests and views of the community. The reasons for this secession are set forth in para- graphs 14 and 18 of the Memorial.

9. As matters at present stand, the Congress is practically a Singhalese organization, although there were present at its last sessions a few persons belonging to other Ceylonese communities who had no right or mandate to speak on behalf of their communities.

10. The secession of the Tamils from the Congress was clearly recognized and admitted by the President. Mr. H. J. C. Pereira, K.C., when he, in his opening speech, referred to it as follows :—

"There is no use in concealing facts. We must admit the facts and face the situation. Since you last assembled in this Hall, as you are aware, there has been a secession from its ranks. The Delegates who were sent from Jaffna to represent that Province at this Congress are absent to-day, and the reason for their absence is well known." He continued,

As I came up to this table you may have noticed that the traditional welcome that is given by our friends of the North to their friends, was given to me by a son of the North, a true son of the North. One swallow, they say, does not make a summer, but one Arulanandam may make all the seasons."

It should be mentioned in this connexion that Mr. M. A. Arulanandam, who was present at the meeting, and who was referred to as having represented the people of the North, is no longer a resident of Jaffna.

11. The North Ceylon press, The Hindu Organ, The Ceylon Patriot and The Morning Star, have emphatically pronounced that the Congress had become entirely a Singhalese organization, which did not represent the feelings of any other com- munities. These papers containing articles on the subject and marked with red ink are hereto annexed for the information of the Government.

(Appendices

B, C, D, respectively.)*

12. Another fact which should be mentioned in this connexion is the failure of the Congress to adopt a scheme of allocation and redistribution of Legislative Council Seats to be submitted to Government.

13. The scheme of allocation of Legislative Council Seats under a revised constitution embodied in the Memorial of the Tamil Mahajana Sabhai, was based on the demand of the Congress for a Council of 50 members, of whom 40 were to be elected Unofficials. The Honourable Mr. James Peiris having now reduced the number to 45, this Sabhai annexes hereto a new scheme of 45 members, officials and unofficials. (See Appendix A.)†

14. It will be seen from paragraph 21 of the Memorial that this Sabhai did not intend strictly to adhere to the scheme set forth in the Memorial in regard to the total number of Members of the Legislature, but urged on His Excellency's attention the justice of restoring the proportion of Tamil representation to Singhalese representation, as stated in paragraph 2 of the Memorial.

15. It should also be pointed out that the inadequate representation of the Northern Province and of the Tamils in the present Legislative Council is generally admitted by a Resolution of the Congress, held in December, 1920, by the Honourable Mr. James Peiris, by Mr. H. J. C. Pereira, the President of the last Congress, and by the European Press.

16.

At the special sitting of the Congress, held on the 18th December, 1920. the following Resolution was unanimously passed:---

"This Congress recommends to Government, that when the constitutional reforms promulgated by the Order in Council are revised next year, the Northern Province of this Island be granted three Seats in the Legislative Council, instead of one Seat now allotted, in view of the importance and special claims of the Province based on the literacy and enlightenment of its population, the number of its registered voters (which is 13,360 in the District of Jaffna so far registered, and almost equal to the whole of the Western Province), and on the distance of the Northern Province from the Seat of Government.

17. An attempt was made by some Singhalese leaders of the Congress to explain this Resolution as embodying the demand of the Tamils represented by the Jaffna Association for three Seats to the Northern Province in a Council of 40 Unofficial Members elected on a territorial basis. The absurdity and unreasonableness of this contention is evident from the fact that this Province would be entitled to not less than three territorial seats, even on the score of the numerical strength of its population, and that there was no necessity to recommend that number of seats, in view of the importance and special claims of the Province based on the literacy and enlightenment of its population, &c." Provinces were then satisfied with the territorial seats allotted to them under the As a matter of fact, the Sinhalese new Order in Council, which is evident from the fact that none of them, when the special sessions of the Congress were held in October and December, 1920, after the publication of the Order in Council, demanded more seats than those allotted to them. The Resolution quoted above was the unanimous desire of the Congress, as it was then constituted to remedy the admitted wrong done to the Northern Province, by allotting to it only one seat; and the recommendation contained in that Resolution was made on conditions which then existed.

18. It will be seen from the above Resolution of the Congress that that body admitted, for the reasons embodied in it, the justice and expediency of the Northern Province being given three territorial Seats, as against the same number of territorial seats allotted to the Western Province, including the City of Colombo, under the present constitution.

19.

That Resolution of the Congress requires further explanation to prevent any misconception. The Jaffna Association composed of Tamils, on behalf of the Tamils of the Northern Province, accepted the three seate recommended as a satis- factory arrangement, in the belief that the seats in the Singhalese Provinces would

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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CO. 882/10

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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