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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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interests of certain minorities, and the advanced state of education, and large proportion of voters to population in (for example), the Northern Province justify considerable deviations from the principle of representation in proportion to numbers. At the same time, I felt that some greater representation could safely be given to certain more populous districts; and it was for this reason that I agreed to the addition of another territorial seat in Colombo. I am inclined to think that there is a strong case for the addition of a further seat in the Southern Province also, and this question will deserve careful consideration if hope is to be entertained that the proposals now to be put forward will receive the acceptance of moderate opinion.

5. I realized with some surprise the strength of the feeling against the creation of a special Tamil seat in Colombo and the Western Province. The deputation in protesting against this seat submitted a proposal for the substitution for it of another seat so devised as to secure the practical certainty of the election of a Tamil to it. This proposal appeared to me to be a genuine attempt to solve the difficulty without the sacrifice of any real interest of the Tamil community, and I felt justified in strongly urging the acceptance of this compromise. I have always regarded with considerable doubt the policy of creating this special seat, and I should not willingly have seen its indefinite continuance. I recognize that the Tamils might base on my despatches of the 11th January,* and the 18th June, † a claim for the continuance of this special seat pending the next revision of the constitution; but I hope that they will see the wisdom of abandoning this claim in return for a suitable concession in another direction. In the alternative, I should feel compelled to consider in what way it would be possible to secure the acceptance by the Sinhalese leaders of the temporary existence of this seat on the understanding that it would be abolished at the earliest possible moment.

6. I have formed the opinion that the members of the Reform Deputation aré personally anxious to secure the cessation for the time being of the agitation on constitutional questions, and that it is expedient to consider carefully how far it is possible to placate moderate opinion at the outset by the grant of concessions not involving any sacrifice of the interests of the Government.

I have. &c.,

39292

No. 20.

DEVONSHIRE.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 9.35 a.m., 7th August, 1923.) TELEGRAM.

7TH AUGUST. At the request of the Ceylon Tamil League I am forwarding the following Resolution unanimously resolved by this body.

Begins: Ceylon Tamil League cannot accept the proposal of Mr. Pereira because the Colombo Tamil seat is the nerve centre of all Tamil activities throughout Ceylon. His proposal is a most ungenerous attempt to deprive the Tamils of a seat of extreme usefulness recognized by other communities and granted by the Governor and the Secretary of State. follows. Ends.

Detailed statement.

-MANNING.

39579

(Secret.)

No. 21.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 8th August, 1923.)

MY LORD DUKE,

[Answered by No. 42.]

The Queen's House, Colombo, 17th July, 1923. In reply to your Secret despatch of the 20th June, I enclose copies of the draft of an Order in Council which the Attorney-General advises should be substituted for the existing Order in Council in place of an Amending Order in

No. 3 in Cmd. 1809. 1.No. 1 in Cmd. 2002. ↑ No. 81212/28: not printed. § Appendix 1.

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Council, since he is of opinion that the amendments are so numerous that this will greatly simplify its being operated.

You will observe that, as regards the Muhammadan Members and the Indian Members, a provision has been inserted in the Order giving the Governor in Executive Council powers to make provision for their election: and in this connexion I propose, as in the case of the Burgher Electorate, the Island shall be taken as the Electoral Division for the seats allotted to the Indian community. In the case of the Muhammadan community, I propose that one member should be allocated to the Eastern Province where the Muhammadans are settled in large numbers; while the two other members would be elected by a constituency composed of the rest of the Island. These proposals are now being considered by a committee of leading Muhammadans.

As regards the town of Colombo, I have included provision for the extra seat which I understand is to be given, and Colombo will consequently be divided into two Electoral Divisions-North and South; and it is hoped that the suggestion made by you, that one of these Divisions may return a better class member, is provided for, in that the more important residential area occupied by the well-to-do Ceylonese classes is included in one of these divisions.

You will also observe that I have adhered to the designations for the Electoral Divisions of the Northern Province, as set out in my previous despatch.

As regards the Southern Province, I have modified the definition of the Electoral Divisions by terming them the Eastern and Western Divisions.

Certain modifications have also been made in Article 26 (4) in regard to the residential qualifications of electors, such modifications being rendered necessary by certain difficulties which came to light in the application of the Order in Council of 1920. You will observe that in Rule 22 of Schedule II of the draft Order, power is given to a Burgher elector to give his two votes to one of the candidates where two seats are being contested. I recommend this provision to your favourable con- sideration, as it will render it at least possible for the better class Burghers to obtain one representative. If you approve, I propose that a similar privilege should be given to electors in the Indian Electorate.

As regards the Muhammadan Electorate, if the Committee I have appointed is of opinion that the whole Island should be an electoral division for the three seats, then, should I accept their recommendation, a similar provision would apply as in the case of the Burgher and Indian seats.

There are, of course, other modifications in the draft Order in Council of an unimportant nature, and to which I do not think it is necessary to call attention. Most of them are also shown in the draft* amending Order in Council prepared by Mr. H. R. Cowell of the Colonial Office before my departure in February last.

I have, &c.,

W. H. MANNING.

38205

No. 22.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR. [Answered by No. 36.]

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Governor, &c.

Downing Street, 9th August, 1923.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 466 of the 10th of Julyt forwarding a copy of a letter from Sir P. Ramanathan, in which he replies to the statements made by the Executive Committee of the National Congress in their memorial of the 20th September, 1922.

2. I note your opinion that the Joint Memorandum is most strongly supported in Ceylon by the moderate Sinhalese. In these circumstances it seems a matter for regret that at two recent elections for the Legislative Council all the successful candidates in the Sinhalese Provinces, with one doubtful exception, and in addition the elected member for the Low Country Products Association, had pledged them: selves to support the policy of the National Congress, and showed themselves strongly opposed to the policy advocated in the Joint Memorandum.

*Not printed. ↑ No. 15.