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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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THILLICO. 882/11

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

C. 73230/30 [No. 37].

SIR,

150

No. 100.

COLONIAL OFFICE to INDIA OFFICE.

Downing Street, 1st May, 1930.

IN continuation of the letter from this Department of the 26th March,* on the subject of the position of Indians in Ceylon under the proposed new Constitution, I am directed by Lord Passlield to state for the information of the Secretary of State for India that a telegram has now been received from the Governor of Ceylon giving his views on the letter from the India Office of the 7th March,† and on the telegram from the Government of India enclosed in that letter.

2. The Governor states that the effect in Ceylon of a threat of the stoppage of the emigration of unskilled labourers from India to Ceylon would be the reverse of While such a stoppage would in time that desired by the Government of India. have a serious effect on European financial interests, it would directly affect Ceylonese interests to a small extent only, and while some might appreciate that eventually it would prejudice the general prosperity of the Island, it seems unlikely that even this appreciation would outweigh their reluctance to advocate a surrender to what would be popularly considered as an unwarrantable attempt by the Government of India to dictate to Ceylon. Such a threat would be strongly resented, and would stiffen rather than relax the existing opposition to any change in the franchise proposals submitted by the Secretary of State for the Colonies and accepted by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The resentment so caused would not be lessened by the action of the Indian members of the Legislative Council in appealing directly to the Government of India without even having explained their ground of objection to the Legislative Council of which they are members.

3. The Governor points out that the telegram from the Government of India entirely ignores the proposal that Indians domiciled in Ceylon should be qualified for the franchise. In the Governor's opinion the number of domiciled Indians is probably very large.

4. While it may be the fact that, as the Government of India suggests, the menace to the local predominance of the Ceylonese involved in any increase of the number of Indian voters may be largely illusory, it is impossible to persuade the Cey- lonese that it is negligible.

5. The Governor fully endorses the remarks made in the fourth paragraph of the letter from this Department of the 26th March in regard to the misinterpretation of his reference to Africa in his despatch of the 2nd June last. He considers that the suggestion that his proposal envisaged or would lead to a reproduction of African conditions in Ceylon is so absurd that he is surprised to find it embodied in a telegram from the Government of India.

6. The Governor states that the reference to equality of political status in the fifth part of the telegram from the Government of India is to him unintelligible, as equality in status is exactly what he has proposed, and is exactly that against which the Government of India are contending in their endeavour to secure that all Indians admitted to the voters' roll must retain a special status and privileges not enjoyed by the rest of the electorate.

He

7. The Governor doubts whether any attempt has been made by the Govern- ment of India to dispel misunderstandings which have been fostered by agitators, or to form an accurate appreciation of the real effect of his proposals. In conclusion he points to the necessity of reaching a final settlement with the least possible delay, as if the registration of voters cannot begin before the end of May, the introduction of the new Constitution before the end of next February will be impossible. slates that he is not wedded to his proposals on any personal grounds, nor were they the outcome of any bargaining, but they embody what he believes to involve the minimum concession to the Sinhalese objection to the general enfranchisement of Indians, an objection which, if it had not been met, would have been fatal to any chance of the acceptance of the Donoughmore Constitution by the existing Legislative Council. Any substantial modification of what was a crucial point determining the acceptance by the Council of the proposed Constitution could not now be made without an imputation of breach of faith, and if proposals so modified were re-submitted to the Council, the Governor apprehends that the result would be the rejection of the proposals by a large Unofficial majority with some risk of extensive non-co-operation in the working

↑ Cmd. 3419.

* No. 96.

† No. 90.

151

of the new Constitution, if it were subsequently introduced in the face of such opposition.

8. The Governor of Ceylon is now on his way to this country, and Lord Passfield will reserve his final decision on the question of the franchise until he has had an opportunity of personal discussion with Sir Herbert Stanley. He thinks, however, that it would be desirable to indicate to the Government of India that after full con- sideration of their representations, he does not see his way to impose on the people of Ceylon a Constitution containing provisions which, as he is fully aware, would excite the strongest opposition from a majority of the inhabitants. In this connexion, I am to enclose, for the information of the Secretary of State for India, a copy of a Memorial from the Lanka Maha Jana Sabha which fully explains the grounds on which the Ceylonese community are opposed to any alteration in the franchise pro- posals submitted to accepted by the Legislative Council.

9. In connexion with the objection of the Government of India to the proposed requirement of a certificate of permanent settlement from Indians wishing to be regis- tered as voters in Ceylon, I am to point out that the Government of India have perhaps not appreciated that this certificate was a device introduced solely in order to assist Indians who could not readily satisfy the standard requirements of either domicile or property and literacy, or who might find it difficult to establish a claim under these requirements. It was intended, in fact, as a special concession to facilitate their enfranchisement, and would not have been accepted by the Ceylonese unless a con- dition had been attached to emphasize the readiness of Indians admitted to the franchise without satisfying the standard requirements to be prepared to be treated as Ceylonese. In the Governor's opinion, and in that of Lord Passfield, these conditions seem to be perfectly reasonable, but if the Government of India dislikes them, the Governor' would see no objection to deleting the whole provision for the grant of certificates of permanent settlement, thus leaving Indians in precisely the same position as all other British subjects inhabiting the Island; that is, they would be eligible for the franchise in virtue either of domicile, subject to a minimum of 5 years' residence, or of property and literacy.

I am, &c.,

C. 73230/10/30 [No. 3].

SIR,

No. 101.

INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE. [Answered by No. 103.]

H. R. COWELL.

India Office, Whitehall, London, S.W.1, 3rd May, 1930. WITH reference to correspondence including your letter of the 26th March,† regarding the position of Indians in Ceylon under the proposed new Constitution, I am directed by the Secretary of State for India to forward, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, copy of a letter from the Government of India regarding a proposed visit to this country of Mr. I. X. Pereira, as a representative of the Ceylon Indian Association.

Mr. Benn trusts that Lord Passfield will be willing to see Mr. Pereira on his arrival in this country.

SIR,

(No. 134-08.)

Enclosure in No. 101.

I am, &c.,

E. J. TURNER.

Government of India, Department of Education, Health and Lands,

New Delhi, the 6th April, 1930.

Indian Franchise in Ceylon-Deputation to England of the Honourable Mr. 1. X. Pereira, Member of the Ceylon Legislative Council, by the Ceylon Indian Association. I AM directed to forward, for the information of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India, a copy of correspondence, and to request that, if there is no objec- tion, the Honourable Mr. I. X. Pereira, Member of the Ceylon Legislative Council, who is being deputed by the Ceylon Indian Association to look after the interests of

* Not reprinted.

+ No. 96.