CO885-11 — Page 500

496

།། ། ། །

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.882/11

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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versy. Mutual suspicions are rife, and are at the bottom of many of the unfortunate differences of opinion which have, in recent years, marked the relations between the executive and the legislature. European officials believe that the Ceylonese are deter- mined to reduce their emoluments and privileges to the absolute minimum that will make it possible for Europeans to remain in such posts as it is still essential that they should fill, or even below that minimum. Ceylonêse unofficials suspect the European hierarchy which controls the executive of a desire to exclude Ceylonese from posts which they can legitimately expect to fill, and of too tender a regard for the welfare of European officials, coupled with a neglect of that of Ceylonese officials. I am not concerned to discuss the merits of these suspicions. But it were folly to ignore their existence, an existence which is due in no small measure to the continued failure to solve the salaries problem. With the settlement of that problem on a Ceylonese basis with overseas allowances, much of this mutual suspicion will, I firmly believe, be laid to rest. I do not wish to paint too gloomy a picture, or to suggest that relations between officials and unofficials are such as seriously to endanger the success of the new Constitution. Such is certainly not the case, but the salaries controversy is un- questionably an impediment to the attainment of a perfect spirit of co-operation, and an impediment which I consider it to be our duty to remove.

7. So far I have only touched incidentally upon the question of recasting the whole system of salaries on a Ceylonese basis, with overseas allowances to meet the requirements of officials recruited from abroad. I do not propose to weary Your Lordship with a recapitulation of the history of this question. Suffice it to say that, in view of the recent debates in the Legislative Council mentioned in Sir Herbert Stanley's despatch of 7th April, it cannot be gainsaid that the time is ripe (in my personal opinion overripe) for the introduction of a scheme of this nature. That the resultant economy

will not be immediate is no reason for delay. In fact, the longer it will take for the scheme to have full effect the more urgent, to my mind, is the necessity for its introduction. The arguments put forward by the Retrenchment Com- mission in 1923 and by the Donoughmore Commission in their report on the Con- stitution are unanswerable, and I can see neither excuse nor justification for further delay. That only an independent body appointed from outside Ceylon can be entrusted with the duty of working out the details of the scheme is self-evident.

8. I do not believe that the recommendations of a Salaries Commission will be such as to impose any appreciable extra burden on the finances of the Colony. That their immediate effect will be slightly to increase the total expenditure on personal emoluments is probable, in view of the fact that an overseas allowance scheme cannot be allowed adversely to affect the position and prospects of officers now serving. But the disadvantages of any increase in expenditure will be more than counterbalanced by the feeling in the public services that their claims have received reasonable con- sideration, and by the final disappearance of a controversy which, as 1 have already stated, has been a source of great embarrassment to the Government for many years. I am not blind to the fact that a decision to appoint a Salaries Commission may cause a certain amount of political agitation in Ceylon, particularly at a time when the minds of politicians are naturally preoccupied with the forthcoming elections to the State Council. But, for the reasons given in this despatch and in Sir Herbert Stanley's despatch of 7th April, I believe that the appointment of a Salaries Commission is necessary, not only in the interests of the Public Service, but still more in order to remove a formidable obstacle from the path of the new Government of Ceylon. If Your Lordship is, upon reconsideration, disposed to agree with me, I have no fear that His Majesty's Government will be deterred from the adoption of the right course by a mere apprehension of political agitation in this country.

9. If Your Lordship should adhere to the decision conveyed in your telegram under reference, I hope that I may be favoured with a suggestion as to the manner in which the salaries problem (including the introduction of overseas allowances) should be tackled. The suggestion that a Salaries Commission should be appointed was only made after all possible alternatives had been considered and rejected, and I fear that I am unable to suggest any other scheme which would, in my opinion, offer any prospect of a successful solution to our present difficulties.

I have, &c.,

B. H. BOURDILLON, Officer Administering the Government.

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Enclosure in No. 18.

DRAFT TELEGRAM.

"CONSIDERATION of machinery of new Constitution makes it appear probable that it will be necessary to create other new posts beside 3 deputies mentioned in my despatch No. 379 of 9th May and offices of Council of State. In any case a certain amount of shuffling of senior posts will be desirable, and considerable readjustment of salaries is indicated. I shall not submit recommendations in this regard until after discussion with Woods, but mention point now as it furnishes strong additional reason for appointment of Salaries Commission. I am fully convinced that failure to appoint such Commission will seriously increase difficulty of setting up adequate machinery for working of new Constitution and will produce grave embarrassments in future.'

C. 78230/9/30 [No. 12],

No. 19.

THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Confidential.)

MY LORD,

(Received 30th June, 1930.)

Queen's House, Colombo, 11th June. 1930.

In my despatch No. 476 of to-day's date* I have addressed Your Lordship on the subject of the telegram dated 2nd June,† in which Your Lordship indicated that you did not propose to appoint a Salaries Commission to revise the salaries of officers graded in the Ceylon Civil List. In that telegram Your Lordship suggested that the Civil Service Association should be informed of your decision, but you did not indicate any reasons for that decision which might be conveyed to them.

2. In my despatch above referred to I have requested Your Lordship to recon- sider that decision, but, in view of the fact that it may at some future date be necessary to publish that despatch, I refrained from dealing therein with the probable effect of Your Lordship's decision upon the public services represented by the Civil Service Association and the Ceylon Public Service Association. I propose to do so in this Confidential despatch,

3. Sir Herbert Stanley, under cover of his Confidential despatch of 9th October, 1929, forwarded to Your Lordship a memorandum from the Civil Service Association, and in his Confidential despatch of 12th November, 1929, § he indicated that the Public Service Association concurred in the terms of that memorandum. Your Lordship's instructions as to the reply which should be conveyed to the Civil Service Association were contained in your Confidential despatch of 16th November, 1929.||

4. Two further memoranda, one from the Civil Service Association and one from the Ceylon Public Service Association were forwarded to Your Lordship under cover of Sir Herbert Stanley's confidential despatches of the 24th January, 1930,¶ *** respectively, and I am now instructed, in Your Lord- and the 4th February, 1930,' ship's telegram of 2nd June, to reply to the memorialists merely that Your Lordship does not propose to appoint a Salaries Commission. I would beg Your Lordship to consider for a moment the probable effect upon the public service of the blank refusal to consider any of their requests which is all that has so far been vouchsafed to them. 5. Without in any way wishing to suggest that I support all the requests made in the three memoranda to which I have referred, I may assert, without fear of contra- diction, that the memorialists have grave reason for the disquietude and misappre- hension as to their future to which they have given expression. That their task in the future will be more difficult than it has been in the past, and that its execution will demand a greater measure of tact and discretion, cannot be gainsaid. It would seem only fair to them in these circumstances that the question of the adequacy of their emoluments should receive consideration, and that their representations on the subject should at least be heard by an impartial tribunal.

* No. 18.

+ No. 15.

§ C. 63237/29 [No. 6]: not printed.

C. 73272/30 [No. 1]: not printed,

C. 63413/29 [No. 4]: not printed.

C. 63413/29 [No. 5]: not printed.

** C. 73326/30 [No. 1]: not printed,