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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC.- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
54874
(No. 778.) SIR,
No. 85.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(Received 24th November, 1924.) ·
Ceylon, 3rd November, 1924. IN continuation of my despatch No. 170 of the 10th March, 1924, I have the honour to inform you that the former Legislative Council of the Colony ceased to exist as from the 29th day of August, 1924. A proclamation to this effect, under Article IV of the Ceylon (Legislative Council) Order in Council, 1923,† was duly published in the Government Gazette.
2. The reconstituted Council was formally established on the 15th October Iast.
66352
I have, &c.,
W. H. MANNING,
Governor, &c.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(Confidential.)
SIR,
No. 86.
(Received 1st December, 1924.)
Ceylon, 6th November, 1924.
I HAVE the honour to submit a report on the first general election held under the Ceylon (Legislative Council) Order in Council, 1923. †
1. Preparation of Registers.-The Order in Council was published in the Government Gazette on the 16th February, 1924, and registering officers were at once instructed to prepare registers of voters. This was a work of very consider-
able magnitude, since most of the electorates had been reconstituted and the registers previously in force were therefore of very little assistance. In the more remote districts the lists were compiled largely through the agency of the village headmen. The volume of registers as finally published contained 204,149 names, as compared with 55,231 in the 1921 list. Annexure "A" is a comparative table showing the proportion of registered voters in each district to the number of adult male persons. Annexure "B" gives a list of those candidates who were returned
2.
unopposed.
Annexure "C" gives the result of polling for contested seats. seen that the proportion of registered persons who voted was remarkably high. In It will be fact throughout the Island the keenest interest was shown in the elections. At the same time there was a complete absence of rowdyism, and the police had no difficulty in preserving order. Caste feeling appeared to be strong in some districts, and a number of contests were fought on the caste basis. It is perhaps a significant fact that only three Sinhalese members who are not of high caste were returned, one for the predominantly Christian (Roman Catholic) district of Chilaw, another for one of the Colombo seats, and a third for the Kandy Rural Electorate. Of the seven Kandyan electorates only three returned Kandyan members; Uva and the Central Province are represented by Low-Country Sinhalese and the North-Central Province by an Englishman (Mr. H. R. Freeman, a retired Civil Servant).
One of the Indian members is a Moslem, so that there are now altogether five Moslem Members in Council, including Mr. Akbar, the Solicitor-General. Eighteen of the unofficial members took their oath as Christians; of the rest there are six Buddhists and six Hindus. Two of the Buddhist members are said to have apostasized from Christianity for the purpose of the election.
4. Election petitions have been presented to the Supreme Court against the members elected for the following constituencies :—
North-Western Province (Western Division),
Southern Province (Eastern Division), and
Central Province Rural Electorate.
3.
At a meeting of the new Council held on the 16th October Mr. James Peiris (Colombo South) was unanimously elected Vice-President of Council.
I have, &c.,
Electorate.
(I) European (Urban)..
European (Rural)
(III) Commercial (IV) Burgher
..
Annexure
(V) Colombo Town (North) (VI) Colombo Town (South) (VII) Colombo District (VIII) Negombo District (IX) Kalutara District
(X) Western Province (Tamil) (XI) Central Province (Urban) (XII) Central Province (Rural) (XIII) Northern Province
(Northern Division) (XIV) Northern Province
(Southern Division) (XV) Northern Province
(Eastern Division) (XVI) Northern Province
(Western Division) (XVII) Northern Province
"
A."
Reported Male Popolation aged 21 year and over,
1921.
No. of Registered Voters.
Porcentage of voters
to reported Male Population aged 21 years and over, 1921.
3,697+
7,110 88,859+
682 1,170 82
1,934
52.3
1,937
27.2
J[12,625 6,718
19,343 21.8
168,261+ 13,443
{29,037 15,594
17.2
80,702
15,927
19.7
7,928
3,247
41.0
192,852†
7,0731
15,195)
22,268
11.5
3,186
5,980
96,717+
3,737 23,672
24.5
6,121
4,648
28,754
2,392
8.3
53,702
6,729
12.5
70,579
9,593
13.6
9,469
399
4.2
34,823
1,950
5.6
141,905†
8,569 20,210 14.2
11,641
(XXV) North Central Province (XXVI) Province of Uva (XXVII) Kegalla District (XXVIII) Ratnapura District
Indian Electorate Mohammedan‡
29,821
1,896
6.4
60,502
2,216
3.7
71,560
10,827
15.1
58,441
6,124
10.5
224,394
12,901
5.7
63,825
12,479
19.6
(Central Division) (XVIII) Southern Province
(Eastern Division) (XIX) Southern Province
(Central Division) (XX) Southern Province
(Western Division) (XXI) Trincomalee District (XXII) Batticaloa District (XXIII) North-Western Province
(Western Division) (XXIV) North-Western Province
(Eastern Division)
*Figures in this column may be subject to some degree of error owing to misstatement of age.
Figures are not separately available for each electorate within the bracket. ¡Includes Ceylon Moors and Malays only.
• No. 61.
↑ Appendix 2.
W. H. MANNING,
Governor, &c.
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