CO885-11 — Page 584

573

218

they would, even on a population basis of 30,000 for a constituency, as contemplated by the Donoughmore Commissioners, be entitled to seven seats.

11. In these circumstances the Muslim community is anxious that statutory provision should be made to ensure the return of an adequate number of Muslim elected members.

12. Therefore, the Memorialists strongly feel that the Muslim community has been denied its just and legitimate place in the body politic, and look to your Lord- ship to restore to it the right of adequate and effective representation through its elected Muslim representatives in the Council.

And your Lordship's Memorialists as in duty bound will ever pray.

No. 175.

219

4. Sir Robert Hamilton undertook that the views of the deputation should be communicated to me and to yourself, but he did not in any way encourage them to believe that there was any prospect of an amendment of the Constitution in the direction which they desire.

5. In view of the fact that full opportunity was given for the presentation of the Muslim case to the Special Commission, and that the abolition of communal repre- sentation was one of the essential features of the scheme prepared by that Commission. I can see no justification for entertaining any proposals for the reversal of the policy of the Commission at this date. Moreover, I see no ground for believing that the abolition of communal representation has so far resulted in any prejudice to Muslim interests.

6. I should, however, be glad of your views as to the possibility of some re- adjustment of the electoral boundaries when the time comes to revise such boundaries.

I have, &c.,

P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER.

C. 83301/31 [No. 39].

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Downing Street, 18th December, 1931. I HAVE the honour to inform you that the deputation from the Muslim Political Conference which, in your Confidential despatch of the 14th of October,* you reported was proceeding to this country was received on the 3rd December by Sir Robert I regret Hamilton, M.P., Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. that owing to other pressing engagements was not able personally to receive the deputation.

The case of the deputation was presented by Mr. Jayah, who opened with a historical summary of the Muslim case much on the lines of the Memorial enclosed in your despatch under reference. He claimed that the Muslim population of Ceylon as a whole had not realized until after the publication of the Special Commission's Report that there was any question of the abolition of the communal seats existing under the Constitution of 1923, but that since the introduction of the present Constitu- tion there had been a growing resentment against the abolition of the special Muslim representation. He did not give any instances of prejudice to Muslim interests aris- ing from the abolition of the communal representation, but he appeared to apprehend that those interests would be ignored by the State Council, to which Muslims could only secure election in very favourable circumstances. He pressed, therefore, that in the first place three of the seats at present reserved for Nominated Members in the State Council should be replaced by seats to which Muslims would be elected on a communal basis by the Muslim population of the Island. Further, he urged that some adjustment should be made in the boundaries of the constituencies in the Eastern Province and in Colombo so as to make it more probable that Muslim Members would be elected by the ordinary electors in those constituencies where a large number of Muslim voters reside.

2. Mr. Abdul Cader then spoke on the extent to which communal feeling influenced the electors in Ceylon. He asserted that voting was almost entirely on a communal basis, and that a Muslim candidate in a constituency where the electorate was predominantly of another race would have no chance of obtaining any votes. Muslims would, therefore, be likely in ordinary circumstances to be entirely un- represented amongst Territorial Members of the State Council unless they managed to secure a seat either in the Eastern Province or in that part of Colombo in which there was some agglomeration of Muslim voters. The boundaries of these con- stituencies, however, were not the most favourable to the Muslims, and could be slightly adjusted so as to include the two areas in which they were likely to predominate.

3. Mr. Hussein developed the view that Muslims had, in recent years, made great advances in education and in the idea of public service; that they were anxious to devote themselves to the advancement of their country; that few opportunities for service in this connexion existed except through membership of the State Council; and that if they were to be practically excluded from the State Council in the future there would be likely to be a return to the apathy and lack of public spirit which had' characterised the community in the past. The same view was lucidly expressed by Mr. Mahroof.

* No. 174.

(3) Committee System.

C. 73230/1/30 [No. 3].

SIR,

No. 176.

LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL to COLONIAL OFFICE.

The County Hall, Westminster Bridge, S.E.1,

9th January, 1930. In accordance with the request made in your letter of the 28th ultimo,* I have pleasure in forwarding herewith copies of the Standing Orders and Regulations of the Council. It will be noticed that the Standing Orders deal mainly with procedure and principles and the Regulations with matters of less importance.

5

Broadly speaking, the Council determines principles but delegates administration to its Committees. Examples of "matters of principle in respect of which Com- mittees are required to take the directions of the Council, are given in Standing Order 524. When the Council has approved any matter of principle it is at once embodied in a regulation for future application of the principle. With certain reser- vations, such as matters of principle, and with financial and other safeguards such as periodic reports of action taken, and also with some regard to the interests of minorities, the Council has empowered each Standing Committee to exercise and perform on behalf and in the name of the Council all the powers and duties of the Council in relation to the matters, services or undertakings, or in pursuance of the Acts of Parliament, specified in each Committee's order of reference. (See Standing Orders 132, 135, and 177, and the Committees' orders of reference.)

For the purpose of this delegated administration the Council has appointed twenty Standing Committees, as well as some special committees. (Minorities (usually to the extent of one-third of the whole) of a few committees, although appointed by, are not members of, the Council.) The Standing Committees are-Building Acts, Education, Establishment, Finance, Fire Brigade, General Purposes, Highways, Hous- ing, Improvements, Local Government. Main Drainage, Mental Hospitals, Parks, Parliamentary, Public Assistance, Public Control, Public Health, Stores, Theatres and Town Planning. Their names indicate the scope of their duties. The Committees usually meet once a week or once a fortnight, and their reports on questions which need the decision of the Council are dealt with at the weekly meetings of the Council. There are Summer, Christmas, Easter, and Whit-tide recesses, during which arrange. ments are made for dealing with urgent matters. (Standing Orders 204, 205, and 206.) The Committees report periodically their action upon matters delegated to them, so as to give the Council continuous information as to the course of adminis- tration pursued by them during each consecutive period of three months. (Standing Order 177.)

Meetings of the Council (Tuesdays at 2.30 p.m.) of the Education Committee (alternate Wednesdays at 3 p.m.), and licensing meetings of the Public Control, Public Health, and Theatres Committees are open to the public.

* C. 63230/11/29 [No. 2]: not printed.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

EPERNIC.O. 882/11

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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