The Political Future of India Part 20

(3) _Legislative._--The Provincial Legislative Councils enjoy limited powers for legislation in the provinces. The Governor is the President of the Council.

The elected members of the Legislative Council are elected by const.i.tuencies formed of Munic.i.p.al and Local Boards, and Landlords with a separate const.i.tuency for Mohammedans. They are in a minority except in Bengal, where they have at present only a small majority. The Legislative Councils have no control over the Executive or the Budget.

The Acts of the Provincial Legislature must be a.s.sented to first by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or the Commissioner as the case may be, and then by the Governor-General subject always to disallowance by the Crown.

PUBLIC SERVICES

Recruitment, examination, and other matters relating to Indian services are at present under the control of the Indian Government and the Secretary of State, with no statutory limit for recruitment in India.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

Half the members of Munic.i.p.alities and Local Boards are generally elected, but the bodies are under official control.

III. THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS

(1) _General._--All Provinces having Legislative Councils at present (except Burma) should have a Governor with Executive and Legislative Councils. A complete separation will be made between Indian and Provincial Revenues. Provincial Governments are to have certain powers of taxation and borrowing.

Responsible Government is to be introduced in the Provinces by a division of departments into reserved (for Government) and transferred (to popular control) subject to a revision after five years. (A Committee is appointed to settle which subjects should be transferred.

The report is not yet out.)

(2) _The Executive_ would be a kind of Diarchy, consisting of the Governor and two members (one of whom is to be an Indian) who will be in charge of the reserved subjects, and responsible only to Government; and a Minister or Ministers, nominated by the Governor from the elected members of the Council, who will be in charge of the transferred subjects and responsible not to the Legislature, but to the electors who may not elect him next time. There may also be additional members without Portfolios for the purpose of consultation.

Ministers to have no voice in decisions concerning reserved subjects or about the supply for them in the Budget.

There will be Under-Secretaries and Standing Committees from the members of the Legislative Councils to a.s.sist the Executive.

(3) _Legislative Councils._--These would be practically two Provincial Legislative Bodies: (1) Legislative Council. (2) Grand Committee.

The Legislative Council will have a substantial elected majority, elected on a broad franchise with Governor as President. (A Commission is appointed to inquire into the question of franchise and the composition of the Council, but the report is not yet out.)

The Grand Committee will comprise only from 40 to 50 per cent of Legislative Council, and its members will be partly elected by a ballot and partly appointed by nomination.

All Legislation and the Budget for transferred subjects only must be pa.s.sed in the Legislative Councils.

But when the Governor certifies that a bill dealing with reserved subjects is essential he may refer the Bill to the Grand Committee and have it finally pa.s.sed there.

The members of the Legislative Council can ask questions and pa.s.s resolutions, but the latter are not binding on the Executive, except resolutions on the Budget for the transferred subjects.

All Provincial Legislation requires the a.s.sent of the Governor and the Governor-General, and is also subject to disallowance by His Majesty.

PUBLIC SERVICE

Racial bars should not exist. In addition to recruitment in England a system of appointment to all public services be established in India with an increasing percentage of recruitment. In the case of Indian Civil Service the percentage should be 33 of the superior posts, with annual increment of 1-1/2 per cent.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

Complete popular control in Local Bodies to be established as far as possible.

III. THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS

(1) _General._--There should be a complete separation of the Provincial from the Imperial Revenues. All Provincial Governments should have certain powers of taxation and borrowing.

(2) _Executive._--Full responsible Government should be introduced into the Provinces. The Executive will thus consist of the Governor and Ministers responsible to the Legislature. There should be no distinction of transferred or reserved subjects.

(3) _Legislative._--There should be only one Legislative Council, having four-fifths of its members elected on a broad franchise without distinction of s.e.x, but with a proportional and communal representation for the Mohammedans. The Legislative Council should elect its own President, and must have control over the Budget. All Bills must be introduced and pa.s.sed in this Legislative Council.

The Governor to retain his power of a.s.sent, and the Governor-General and the Crown the power of a.s.sent or disallowance.

PUBLIC SERVICES

Services should be recruited in India in a fixed and progressive proportion. The annual recruitment in India for the Indian Civil Service should be 50 per cent to start with, and that Indians be granted at least 25 per cent of the Commissions in Army and the proportion be gradually increased. There should be no racial distinctions.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

Munic.i.p.al and Local Bodies should be completely under popular control.

APPENDIX C

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES ON FRANCHISES AND DIVISION OF FUNCTIONS

(_London Times_ May 13, 1919)

The reports of the two Committees which sat in India from early in November to the end of February last to fill out the framework of the Montagu-Chelmsford Report published last July were issued last night.

The Franchise Committee, of which Lord Southborough was chairman, recommend a scheme of territorial const.i.tuencies, urban and rural, the latter based on the existing land revenue districts, together with communal representation for Mohammedans and Sikhs (as contemplated in the original scheme) and for Indian Christians, Europeans, and Anglo-Indians: and the representation of special interests, including commerce and industry.

The other Committee, of which Mr. R. Feetham was chairman, make detailed recommendations as to the division of functions between the Government of India and the provincial Governments, and also between "reserved" and "transferred" subjects in the provinces.

Proposals are made for the modification in some important respects (notably in the powers conferred on the Governor) of the "diarchial" system in the provinces set forth in what is conveniently called the "Joint Report."

As was indicated in _The Times_ on April 5, Lord Southborough's Committee have not accepted the appeals addressed to them in the interest of woman suffrage. They found it advocated "rather on general grounds than on considerations of practicability." They are satisfied that the social conditions of India would make such a step now premature. They are of opinion, however, that at the revision of the const.i.tutions of the councils proposed in the Joint Report 10 years after their reconst.i.tution the matter should be reconsidered in the light of the experience gained and of social conditions as they then exist.

FRANCHISE QUALIFICATIONS