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ཀ ། ། :།།

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

mimiuim

Reference :--

C.O.882/11

|ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |

54

Headmen System.

9. The Headmen system is one prevailing in this country from time immemorial. It was the Chief Headman who signed the Treaty on behalf of the people. Invariably it has been the custom to select a chief headman, a person of that respective division, a descendant of an ancient family commanding the respect of that division (vide Sir D'Oyley's Diary, page 240, and also Sir Alexander Ashmore's Minute regarding the appointment of Chief Headman). Sir West Ridgeway in his farewell speech at Ruanwella said: "If at any time the Headmen System is changed on the lines of the clerical service. this change will be disastrous to the Provincial Administration.' The Cadet System as suggested by the Commissioners will not work well in rural areas. If it is adopted the Kandyan identity will altogether disappear with our ancient

national costume.

**

10. As Your Excellency is now well acquainted with our customs, usages. &c., I beg that Your Excellency would consider our unfortunate position with a sympathetic mind. We have no orators or writers or efficient newspapers to take up our cause. We place ourselves in Your Excellency's hands and beg that a favourable scheme be worked out to safeguard us.

I beg to remain, &c.,

J. H. Meedeniya,

His Excellency

Sir Herbert Stanley, C.M.G., K.C.M.G.,

Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Island of Ceylon and the Dependencies thereof;

Colombo.

C. 53429/28/9 [No. 4.]

No. 25.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 11.30 p.m., 16th November, 1928.)

TELEGRAM.

Adigar,

16TH NOVEMBER. My telegram 26th October,* Donoughmore Report in the Legislative Council. Unofficial Members yesterday evening voted on various motions and amendments relative to franchise. After six divisions final result was adoption of motion as follows:-" This Council accepts the recommendation of the Donough- more Commission as regards the extension of franchise subject to following amendments : (a) That in the case of females the age for qualification as a voter should be twenty-one and not thirty. (b) That every voter shall be able to read and write one of the following languages, English, Sinhalese or Tamil." (b) was carried by 17 to 14 (a) by 28 to 3 the portion preceding (a) by 17 to 11.

On (b) the majority consisted of 10 Sinhalese, 3 Tamils, 1 Burgher, 3 Europeans; the minority consisted of 2 Sinhalese, both credited with affinity to the Labour Party, 5 Tamils, 1 Burgher, 3 Muslims, 2 Indians, 1 Territorially elected European; in addition to officials and Vice-President, 1 Tamil and 1 Burgher declined to vote.

A proviso that an applicant who had not the five years' residential qualification should be entitled to registration if he was a British subject, had resided in the Island for 1 year, was possessed of immovable property worth rupees 500 or had income of 50 rupees per month and was able to read and write English, Sinhalese or Tamil was rejected by 17 to 15. I am told that this was probably due to some misunderstanding. However that may be it is clear that proviso if carried would have been carried only by small majority.

Three motions on paper in franchise group stood over. It is not clear to me whether it is proposed to vote on them later or drop them.

* No. 17.

C. 53429/28/1 [No. 17].

No. 26.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 2.10 a.m., 17th November, 1928.)

TELEGRAM.

16TH NOVEMBER. Confidential. My telegram of to-day,* Donoughmore Report. Immediately after the conclusion of voting on the franchise group of motions I caused message from myself to be delivered to the effect that I had reported to you by telegraph the result of voting on the two previous groups-see my telegram of 26th Octobert-and that I had been authorised to communicate the following obser- vations of the Secretary of State. These I quoted verbatim from your confidential telegram of 29th October‡ beginning "It will be recognised" down to the end of the telegram. Message proceeded to explain that when I had received your telegram containing the observations discussion of the franchise group of motions had begun and I had thought it desirable to avoid any semblance of intervention in that discussion. I was writing message for presentation as soon as voting upon that group had been completed and at the time of writing was unaware what result of that voting would be. If I did not misapprehend feeling of the Council I believed that the Members generally would not wish that their dissent from certain of the Commission's recom- mendations be regarded as implying rejection of the scheme as a whole. There seemed some risk however that the method of dealing with particular items separately as independent propositions rather than in collective aspect of inter-relation in the com- prehensive scheme of advance in self-government might produce erroneous reflection on the member's attitude and intention. As it would be my duty in reporting to you to convey not only my own opinion but also my impression of the views and wishes of the Unofficial Members as well as of the general public, so far as I might have been able to ascertain them, it had occurred to me that Members might perhaps desire. to discuss position with me in less formal manner than at open meeting of the Council. If so, I would be very ready to afford them opportunity to meet us either in body or if they preferred by small but representative delegations on the understanding that conversation would be confidential and without prejudice and that any conclusions provisionally reached would not be deemed to commit them unless embodied in an unofficial motion and accepted by the Council. I would not however wish to press this suggestion on them if it should not accord with their inclinations.

Message was delivered at the end of sitting. What effect, if any, was producea is not yet apparent. My impression is that the members would be glad to see final decision shelved until after the General Election under the present constitution, but I have no definite information as yet on this point, nor do I know whether they propose to proceed this afternoon with the debate on further motions on the Donoughmore Report.

C. 53454/28 [No. 9.]

No. 27.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Downing Street, 22nd November, 1928. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Confidential despatch of the 3rd of August§ regarding a question which has arisen in the interpretation of Sections 16 and 17 of the Ceylon (Legislative Council) Order in Council, 1923.

2. As regards the position of Crown Proctors and Crown Advocates, I approve of the proposal that the Governor in Executive Council should rule under Section 16 of the Order in Council, that the intention of the Order was to allow Crown Proctors and Crown Advocates to sit in the Legislative Council and to vote.

3. The case of the Editorship of the Etymological Sinhalese Dictionary presents difficulties, and in this case I do not think that the Governor in Executive Council could properly dispose of the matter by a ruling under Article 16, I have therefore thought it necessary to provide by Order in Council indemnity for the past and pro- tection for the future in the case of the Editor of the Sinhalese Dictionary. It did not

↑ No. 17.

‡ No. 18.

No. 8.

* No. 25.