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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

EPERNIC.O.882/11

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Council agrees to accept its recommendations concerning executive functions subject to the following modifications:---

That State Council should function only as a legislative and administrative and executive functions should be exercised by Ministers elected by the State Council and responsible to the same.

The Hon. Mr. Jayah to move--

That in the opinion of this Council the Departments entrusted to Executive Committees in the Donoughmore Report should be in charge of Ministers elected by the Reformed Council and the Ministers so elected should be responsible for the proper working of the Departments in their charge, the control and discipline of the officers of such Departments being vested in them.

It is necessary for me at the risk of being thought personal to state something about the movers of this resolution and of the motives which, as disclosed by their speeches, has led them to sit in judgment on the Commissioners. The Hon. Mr. E. W. He is Perera, I have already pointed out, opposed the extension of the franchise. one of those who has shown from his conduct in the Legislative Council to be a strong believer in Committee Government as he and his party have moved for and obtained committees on every conceivable subject in addition to the considerable powers exercised by the Finance Committee itself, about which the Commissioners have made very scathing remarks. Mr. Perera it was who moved for and obtained the appointment of the Land Commission, which is at present holding up the alienation of land and is performing executive functions. One finds to-day individual applications for land made to Government either for purchase or lease referred by Government to Land Commissioners. This Commission appoints sub-committees which visit the land and decide how much should be given to the applicant and at what rate. The public works Advisory Board is another committee which scrutinises an estimate and tenders for all public buildings even allotting the scholarships to deserving students, has now been undertaken by Committees. These impromptu and unconstitutional committees are favoured by those who object to the appointment of legalised committees which they fear will better them when they gain their ambition of a portfolio. I maintain that what is sauce for the British Civil Servant who is just now been fettered with committees should be sauce to the unofficial minister. Our object in asking for responsible Govern- ment was not to exchange for a white bureaucracy with a training in Government, a brown bureaucracy with no training in the art of Government. I also maintain that the Committees will give a good training ground for future ministers, otherwise the first batch of ministers appointed will probably be permitted to remain ministers for the rest of the period of their natural lives owing to the want of others with administrative experience to succeed them.

The three other proposers of resolutions, Messrs. Wille, Doraisamy and Jayah are all three of them communal representatives, have no reason to love the Donoughmore Scheme. Mr. Wille in his evidence pressed for the continuance of communal repre- sentation and persisted that the Burghers should have separate representation, because the only officials to hold the posts of Assisted Director of Medical and Sanitary Services and Acting Government Agents have been Burghers. Mr. Wille in his speech in " he did not care if the whole scheme was thrown the Legislative Council stated that overboard." He was out to wreck the whole scheme and in this he had the support of the Congress members. Mr. Doraisamy in his evidence before the Commission as leader of the Jaffna Association deputation pleaded most vehemently for the main- tenance of the 2 to 1 proposal of Sinhalese and Tamils representation in the Council. i.e., 500,000 Tamils should have half representation accorded to the provinces inhabited by 3 million Sinhalese. The first part of his resolution demanding self-government of the Dominion Status was carried by a majority of 16 to 11, but it was Dominion Status of a most novel kind as he maintained communal representation should continue the 2 to 1 proportion should be maintained, and the franchise extended only to literates. This resolution which according to a Reuter's telegram published in London, has been heralded as the Legislative Council rejecting the Donoughmore Scheme and planking for full responsible government, is nothing of the kind. Mr. Jayah, himself a communal member, pleaded before the Commission for the increase of the Muslim representation from 3 to 8. He. expressed the view in his speech that Ceylon was as fit as the Philippines for more than responsible government, but also took care to maintain that • communal representation must continue. He has already given notice of a resolution in favour of the communal representation and will be discussed by the Legislative Council in a few days. It is noteworthy that the three European Communal members were in favour of adult suffrage and the Committee System. The concensus of opinion

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among those with administrative experience is in favour of the Committee System. In the Legislative Council the three European members, all of them men who control large business organisations, voted in favour of the Committee System. Mr. C. E. de Vos, a member of the Municipal Council, Galle. and Mr. C. 11. %. Fernando, member of the Municipal Council, Colombo, knowing from their experience the successful working of the Committee System in the Municipal Council, both spoke and voted for the Committee System. Sir James Pieris, who has himself been a member of the Municipal Council, and several other witnesses, including the Hon. Mr. A. F. Molamure, in their evidence before the Commission, supported the Committee System, although Mr. Molamura voted against the proposal in the Legislative Council. Dr. S. Muttiah, a member of the Muncipal Council, Colombo, and a member of the Congress deputation, in his evidence supported the Committee System. The Press of the country, comprising five papers all representing diverse interests, viz., The Times of Ceylon, The Ceylon Observer. The Ceylon Daily News, Ceylon Morning Leader, The Ceylon Independent, have expressed themselves strongly in favour of the Committee System and have characterised its rejection by the Congress as a fatal mistake. The altitude adopted by the Congress Party with regard to the franchise gives an insight to the working of their mind. They have opposed the grant of manhood suffrage. In view of the fact that these men have done nothing in the past for lahour, they have good reason to believe that they will not be able to manipulate the poor man's vote. Hence they conspired to reject manhood suffrage thus depriving the poorer people of the greatest boon that has ever been granted to them in the political world since British rule.

I only beg of our friends in England to press for the granting of the franchise to all British subjects with the five years' residential qualification. The main objection to the grant of the vote to the Indian is that the residential period of five years will not necessarily mean an abiding paramount interest in this country. The objection could be met by extending the period to 10 years. The modification I alluded to in the first paragraph of my letter (a) the extension of the franchise to women over 21, (b) a curtailment of the arbitrary power of the Government. These powers, if in the hands of a Governor inclined to be automatic, would necessarily make the peaceful working of the Constitution impossible.

In conclusion I would earnestly request you to be good enough to do your utmost to interest the British Labour Party and the British Parliamentary Labour Party to do their utmost best in the House of Commons to secure to the workers of this country what I would call the Charter of their Liberties.

C. 53429/28/1 [No. 23].

A. E. GOONESINHA,

President, All-Ceylon Trade Union Congress, and

Chairman. Ceylon Labour Party.

No. 37.

GOVERNOR.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE

(Sent 3.30 p.m., 13th December: 1928.)

TELEGRAM.

[Answered by No. 38.]

YOUR telegram of 30th November.* As stated in my telegram of the 29th Octobert I shall await your comments on the full proceedings in the Legislative Council. On the information before me the resolutions adopted appear to be incompatible with acceptance of the main principles of the scheme of the Special Commission. If actual resolutions represent the main body of public opinion in Ceylon the position indicated in my first telegram of 29th Octobert arises but I do not propose to form any final conclusions pending the result of the conversations reported in your telegram of 3rd December.§-AMERY.

* No. 32.

† No. 19.

No. 18.

§ No. 34.