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(3) Position of Indians.

Attached to C. 63230/5/29.

No. 77.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA to VICEROY.

(Dated 11th December, 1929.)

TELEGRAM.

3866. PRIVATE and Personal. I have forwarded your official telegram of 29th November* regarding Ceylon reform to Colonial Office. Drummond Shiels before he made over charge left on record a note which I think will interest you as he was a member of the Donoughmore Commission and has since kept in touch with Ceylon affairs.

This note is in my immediately succeeding telegram.

C. 63230/5/29 [No. 7].

SIR,

No. 79.

INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

India Office. Whitehall, 12th December, 1929. WITH reference to your letter of the 24th January, 1929,* on the subject of the Report of the Ceylon Reforms Commission and the correspondence relating to the Constitution of Ceylon published in Cmd. 3419, I am directed by the Secretary of State for India to transmit, for the information of Lord Passfield, copy of a telegram received from the Government of India communicating their provisional views on the proposals regarding the franchise contained in Sir Herbert Stanley's despatch of 2nd June, 1929.†

2. It will be observed that the Government of India propose to send a further communication after they have considered the views of the local Indian leaders, and that for the reasons stated in paragraph 2 of their telegram they ask that no final decision should be taken until the matter has received further examination in the light of their views and the views of the local Indian community.

3

Mr. Secretary Benn has no doubt that the request of the Government of India will receive Lord Passfield's consideration and would be glad to be advised as to the reply to be sent to their telegram.

Attached to C. 63230/5/29.

No. 78.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA to VICEROY. (Dated 11th December, 1929.)

TELEGRAM.

3867. PRIVATE and Personal. Position is that original recommendation of Donoughmore Commission on franchise was strenuously objected to by Legislative Council of Ceylon. This imposed simply a five years' residence qualification and abolished present property, franchise, and literacy tests. It is important to remember that these tests, especially the last, now exclude 98 per cent. of Indian immigrant labourers. Ceylonese members of Legislative Council protested against what they regarded as giving voting rights to large numbers of Indian labourers who had no abiding interest in the Island. They fear even more, I understand, possibility of educated Indians coming to Ceylon and becoming members of Council. There is a substantial salary attached. In view of Indian criticism of this attitude Ceylonese altered tactics and passed resolution calling for a literacy test which would incidentally exclude bulk of Indian labourers as well as many Ceylonese. The Governor's suggestion adopted by Colonial Office is designed to meet Ceylonese point of view to some extent but it is not likely to have any important practical effect on Indian labourers' position. An uncertain number of these Indian labourers has been actually born in Ceylon and some 40 or 50 per cent. at least may be regarded as permanent residents. The declara- tion of domicile is merely a declaration of intention and could be signed quite honestly by many who make periodic trips to Southern India. The declaration of relinquish- ment of Government of India's protection is of academic importance only. (See Governor's despatch, paragraph 35). Further, all employers of immigrant labour must conform to the statutory conditions laid down in consultation with your Government and these must apply to all their Indian workers. The new conditions do not, indeed, satisfy the Ceylonese and one of the difficulties in getting new proposals accepted is that more stringent restrictions are not imposed. It must be clearly understood that the difficulties in this matter have been made by the Ceylonese and not by the Colonial Office or by the Ceylon Government. The net effect will be to enfranchise a very large number of the labourers, both men and women, and to give them an influence on their economic conditions for which at present they are almost entirely dependent on the Government of India. I hardly think it would be wise to press for the removal of the modifications suggested, as this would lead either to the rejection of the whole scheme or to insistent demands for literacy test. (Please see Governor's despatch, para- graph 36, as to effect on future relations of Ceylon and India.)

• Enclosure in No. 79.

Enclosure in No. 79.

I am, &c.,

W. D. CROFT

VICEROY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND LANDS, NEW DELHI, 10 SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA.

(Received, Part 1, 1.30 p.m., Part 2, 2.15 p.m., Part 3, 2 p.m., 29th November, 1929.)

3510-S.

TELEGRAM.

Part 1.

Education Department.

We have been con 29TH NOVEMBER. sidering effect on Indians in Ceylon of Governor's franchise proposals recently published. Copies of despatches on subject reached us only this month. We could not, therefore, form any views thereon or communicate them to you earlier. In following paragraphs we have set out our provincial (sic, provisional) conclusions and shall address you again after considering the views of local Indian leaders.

2. General standard for admission to franchise is, we understand, to be domicile, though domicile is not defined. Persons not fulfilling this condition may, however, acquire franchise, (a), by complying with existing condition(s), or (b), by making declaration of intention to settle permanently in Ceylon and renouncing claim to protection by any outside Government or to statutory privileges, et cetera, not open to residents of all races and communities (see paragraph 35 of Governor's despatch of 2nd June, 1929). Alternative (to) (a) is intended to meet needs of European and British Indian commercial communities, and we can see no objection to it.

Part 2.

Second alternative, though not restricted by name to any race will in practice apply mainly to Indian estate labourers. As large proportion of these do not settle permanently in Ceylon, though they work there most of their lives, they could not make proposed declarations without perjuring themselves, unless they were prepared to abandon (? practice) commended by both tradition and personal convenience. It also strikes us that they could not make renunciation of claim to special statutory rights without forfeiting privileges such as those admissible under Standard Wage Ordinance. Chances, therefore, are that proposed declarations will not be made, and a good proportion of these men and women, who dedicate their lives to one of the staple economic activities of the island, will remain voteless. We cannot see how this can be justified by any consideration of principle or equity. Public opinion in this country

Cmd. No. 3419. *C. 53429/2 [No. 9]: not printed.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TELCO. 882/11

لسائليا

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |

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