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Enclosure in No. 76.

•

535

Electoral District.

Number of voters registered.

C. 83230/2/31 [No. 4].

1. Colombo North

(No. 466.) MY LORD,

No. 76.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 29th June, 1931.)

Queen's House, Colombo, 10th June, 1931.

I HAVE the honour to enclose, for Your Lordship's information, a table showing (a) the total number of male and female voters registered under the new franchise,

Indians.' (b) the approximate number of these voters who can be classed as

+

2. The total number of voters registered is probably about 60 per cent. of the total adult population, about 45 per cent. of adult females having been registered. The number of Indians registered is probably only about 21 per cent. of the total adult Indian population. It is, however, impossible to say what proportion of that population possess the minimum domiciliary qualification of five years' residence, and the percentage of Indians registered to the total number entitled to claim the franchise is very much higher than 21, although it is impossible to say how far, if at all, it falls short of the percentage of qualified Ceylonese who actually found a place on the register. The number of Indians registered would have been higher had not Indian labourers on some estates been intimidated against applying for registration by the circulation among them of misleading pamphlets, some of which were traceable to Indian sources. It is, however, gratifying to note that the number of Indians now registered in territorial electorates, viz.,100,574 (excluding Indians in Tamil districts who cannot be identified) represents an increase of 708 per cent, on the number of Indians registered in the Indian electorates for the Legislative Council. This increase compares not unfavourably with the increase of 770 per cent. in the total number of voters on the State Council register as compared with the total number on the Legislative Council register.

3. It may further be of interest to Your Lordship to learn that the few objections which were made to applications for registration by Indians were all disallowed, and that the large majority of Indians registered claimed the qualification of domicile and did not apply for a certificate of permanent settlement. The few who did apply for such certificates were mostly resident in Colombo, and therefore had no privileges to lose.

4. I am causing a copy of this despatch to be sent to the Agent to the Govern- ment of India in Kandy.

14. Matugama 15. Matale 16. Galagedera 17. Kandy 18. Dumbara 19. Gampola

20. Hatton 21. Talawakele

22. Nuwara Eliya 23. Balapitiya 24. Udugama 25. Galle

26. Weligama

27. Morawaka

28. Matara

20, Hambantota

30. Kayls

31. Kankesanturai

32. Jaffna

33. Point Pedro

34. Mannar-Mullaittivu 35. Batticaloa South 36. Trincomalee-

37. Puttalam

2. Colombo Central 3. Colombo South

4. Minuwangoda

5. Negombo

C. Gampaha

7. Kelaniya

Males. Females. 11,024 32,943

52,325 12,228 41,026 11,299 11,593 24,923

36,516 18,918 14,858 33,776 22,222

41,520 19,304 21,241 15,878 37,119 19,413 13,469 32,882

Total. 43,967

REGISTERED VOTERS FOR STATE COUNCIL ELECTIONS.

Approximate number of voters

commonly classed as Indians," including immi- grants and non-immigrants, &c.

Males. Females. Total.

10,511 1,356

11,867

851

13,079

4,863

493

5,356

39

5

44

365

79

441

808

48

856

26

1

27

8. Meyangoda

18,349

14,241

32,590

43

2

45

9. Avissawella

20,940 12,796

33,736

166

97

263

10. Moratuwa

23,534 18,506

42,040

304

77

381

11. Runadure

23,030 20,886

43,916

265

2-1

289

12. Kalutara

19,074 14,680

33,754

458

120

578

13. Horana

22,998 14,089

37,087

949

369

1,318

15,619 8,094

23,713

628

139

767

15,797

6,928

21,725

1,630

553

2,183

14,937 6,870

21,807

480

87

567

24,106 12,497

36,603

2,822

740

3,562

19,706 8,750

28,456

3,827

1,407

5,294

12,514

18,436 5,922

1,208

190

1,398

20,654

30,409 9,755

12,769

7,105 19,874

13,099

5,479 18,578

7,374

2,773

10,147

13,398

5,439

18,837

4,457

1,521

5,978

21,479 21,601

43,080

119

27

146

23,690 19,446

43,136

1,331

916

2,247

18,890 14,838

33,734

68

5

73

21,686

20,646

42,332

5

5

19,829 11,604

31,433

353

132

485

19,633 17,062 36,695 21,987

35,636 13,649 17,895 15,950 33,845 16,226 11,823 28,049 21,565 9,813 31,378 16,275 12,555 28,830

22

7

29

6,633 9,843 19,481 18,449 37,930

16,476

Batticaloa

20,251 11,502 31,753

20,405 9,287

29,692

623

335

38. Kurunegala

24,331

14,757

39,088

1,215

756

958 1,971

39. Narammala

17,095 6,866

23,961

62

4

66

I have, &c.,

GRAEME THOMSON,

40. Katugampola 41. Chilaw

21,777 11,738

33,515

176

82

258

27,749

18,732

46,481

1,754

598

2,352

Governor.

42. Anuradhapura 43. Bandarawela

14,668 2,919

17,587

13,736

7.885

21,621

2,211

378

2,589

44. Badulla

9,780 5,984 15,764

431

200

631

45. Bibile

46. Kegalla

8,153 2,940

11,093

35

h

41

25,724

17,189

42,913

799

188

987

47. Dedigama.

15,658 10,710

26,368

443

67

510

48. Ruwanwella

19,574

11.988

31.562

1,027

231

1,258

49. Ratnapura............ 50. Balangoda...

17,667

7,193

24,860

355

81

436

15,054

4,268

19,322

1,009

206

1,215

Total ...

978,548 599,384 1,577,932

78,258 22,316 100,574

NOTE.-In Tamil districts it was impossible to ascertain from the registers which of Indians."

the registered voters were

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

www.

Reference :-

C.O.882/11

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON