26
matters concerned have been, or no doubt will be, the subject of separate correspond- ence, but I would ask that the Malayan Governments may not be committed to any important steps in the directions indicated without previous consultation with the Secretary of State.
3. I should be glad to receive copies of the Report of the Committee which recommended the establishment of a Postal Board.
a
C. 82395/31 [No. 18).
I have, &c...
J. H. THOMAS.
27
as decentralization, e.g., in Medical, Audit, Public Works, and other Departments about which separate despatches have already been sent you. More despatches are now in preparation. The strengthening of the State Councils is necessary in itself apart from decentralization and as soon as the schemes are ready I will report on this fully. Proposals for financial reorganization are being considered by Committee which has not yet reported. I shall keep you informed but progress is much slower than you seem to think. Until decentralization is further advanced in the Federated Malay States little can be done in the Unfederated Malay States and only action taken as yet in the Unfederated Malay States is to explain fully to Rulers the objects in view.
No. 8.
473
MALAY STATES.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.
(Paraphrase.)
(Sent 10.45 p.m., 9th December, 1931.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 9.]
No. 228. I HAVE now been able to study correspondence terminating with Mr. Thomas's despatch Confidential of 27th October,* concerning your proposals with regard to Federated Malay States. I feel bound to remind you without delay that no decisions in the matter have been reached as yet by His Majesty's Government. I fully endorse authority which you received from Lord Passfield to discuss the subject with Malay rulers, but that authority did not cover more than discussion and it was not suggested that you should incur actual commitments of any description. In these circumstances, I feel somewhat alarmed by statement on page 4 of Proceedings of Durbar that you intend to ask Federal Council to restore control of certain specified services to the State Councils as from Budget of 1933, as well as by your statement in paragraph 2 (a) of your despatch Confidential of 1st Septembert to effect that pro- posed reconstitution of State Councils will be effected by end of current year. I must request that, before any definite steps in direction of constitutional changes are taken, a fully considered scheme, showing in detail what is proposed in the Federated area, may be submitted to me together with reasoned statement of grounds for anticipating that Unfederated States would be ready to join Federation, if proposed changes were adopted. I should also desire to be satisfied as to how proposals are received by informed public opinion of all sections and interests concerned. A despatch dealing with whole question in its broader aspects and raising various points of detail which it appears to me essential to clear up is being sent to you by mail as soon as possible. You will appreciate that, as my predecessor made plain, before final decision can be taken matter will have to be submitted to Cabinet and before submitting any proposals to Cabinet I must be in possession of full particulars of scheme and full and accurate information regarding local opinion in the absence of which I can express no con- sidered judgment myself still less invite Cabinet to give theirs.-CUNLIFFE-LISTER.
C. 82395/31 [No. 19].
No. 9.
MALAY STATES.
THE HIGH COMMISSIONER to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 6.45 a.m., 12th December, 1931.) TELEGRAM.
12TH DECEMBER. Your telegram No. 228, 9th December.‡
I will prepare as soon as I can and send you a memorandum suitable for circulation to the Cabinet on the scheme for decentralization in the Federated Malay States preparatory to federation of the whole Malay Peninsula.. I realize fully necessity to proceed with caution and so far only steps taken are those which conduce to retrenchment as well
‡ No. 8.
* No. 7.
† No. 6.
C. 82395/31 [No. 20].
No. 10.
FEDERATED MALAY STATES.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. [Answered by No. 20.]
(Reserved. No. 18.)
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to inform you that I have now been able to give careful con-
Downing Street, 12th January, 1932. sideration to the record of the Durbar at Sri Menanti on the 18th of August at which memoranda were circulated dealing with a proposed Railway Board, a Postal Board, and a customs union for Malaya and the policy of decentralization in the Federated Malay States was discussed. I note that in your speech you alluded to "the necessity for decentralization in the Federated Malay States," and informed the Rulers that it was possible for you "to adumbrate the main features of the scheme as I have discussed it with the Secretary of State." At a later stage you suggested that "when the Rail- ways, the Posts, Telegraphs, Telephones, Customs, and Surveys have been placed on the business footing which I have just indicated, the commercial impulse towards centralization will have been satisfied, and that in other respects the path towards the re-investment of your Highnesses' State Governments with the control of administra- tion proper will lie unimpeded by considerations of trade or commerce." You went on to state that, subject to certain reservations, you intended "to ask the Federal Council to restore to the State Councils the control of the following services, beginning with the Budget for 1933 :-Agricultural, Co-operative, Educational, Electrical, Forestry, Medical, Mining, Public Works, and Veterinary." You then made it clear that, in combined Departments like Medical and Public Works, the Head of the Department would have merely advisory functions in the Malay States; and you gave a list of certain matters of common interest to all States which in your opinion must always come within the province of a common Council Finally, you suggested that it would be necessary to strengthen the State Councils, and eventually to revise the treaties and abolish the post of Chief Secretary.
2. When you were on leave in the early part of this year, you had a number of discussions at the Colonial Office at which you outlined a policy of decentralization in the Federated Malay States with a view to the ultimate formation of a wider union of all the Malay States, a union which might possibly even include the Colony. Your proposals had not been worked out in detail, and only the broad outlines of your policy were discussed. It was eventually decided that, before the question of approving your proposals could be considered, you should on your return to Malaya consult the Malay Rulers and the producing and commercial communities in Malaya to ascertain whether such a policy would meet with general acceptance. If it then appeared practicable to achieve the wider Malayan union which you aimed at, the policy was to be elaborated in detail and submitted to the Secretary of State, who would then consider whether to submit it to the Cabinet for approval.
3. I think it most desirable in the first place to emphasize that, as I understand the position, there were to be no commitments undertaken in connexion with the policy of decentralization in the Federated Malay States and wider union of all Malaya, unless the policy, after discussion in Malaya, was found generally acceptable and the Cabinet then gave its approval. I am of course aware that it is easy for erroneous impressions to spread in a country like Malaya with so many different communities and interests, when a new policy is put forward by the Governor and High Commissioner for the purpose of eliciting the views of the public. In present circumstances I feel that there
*
CUMBLIC
། ༄། ༄། | ། ། །
PECORD OFFICE
Reference -
bhfC.O.882/12
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BF REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO|
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.