GOVT. PROPOSALS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 304, 18 August 1932, Page 5

GOVT. PROPOSALS

(Brltisli Official Wireless)

e aLLOCATION of seats L ON POPULATION i basis VARIOUS CASTE INTERESTS

Rec. Aug. 17, 7 p.m. Rugby, Aug. 16. Tl,e Government's provisional ccheme for the settlement of the Indian communal problem, with a stateDient by Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister, have been issued. In the hope that an agreement may ,.et be reached among the Indians theniselves, the scope of the scheme j,as been limited to a minimum. It js hoi'ed onee a pronouncement has j,gen made on the proportion of reresentation, the communities will jeach a modus vivendi on the other paris of the problem. The two big issues are joint vercjs separate electorates and the compiunal proportions in the Punjab and BengalThe present system of separate electorates is favoured. It has been found impossible to abolish the safegaards which the minorities still con4der vital. Thus in each province fj,ere will be constituencies for the Mohammedans, Depressed Classes, 'gjhhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-In-dians and Europeans, and special constituencies for women, industry, landholders, universities and labour. Province Variations There are certain variations according to provinces. For examplc, «he Siklis are represented only in the Punjab and the north-west frontier iroviniTS, and there are no European tr labour representatives in the frontier province. On the issue of communal propor;jon?. in the Punjab and Bengal the Mohammedans have elaimed a majorjry in the representations in both rrovinces by reason of their majorjties in the population. In the Pun;at> the percentage of population is *56 and in Bengal 55. In the Punjab the Mohammedans are given, as Mohammedans, 86 gats out of a total of 175, which does :et amount to a majority, but they iill in practice get three more land aolders' seats, with the possibility of another seat or so from the special Jieats; thus in practice they will have iast a bare majority. I The Sikhs, who are a powerful minirity in the Punjab, will command 32 jsats in their own constituencies and firolably at least one from the spec't'al seats, thus giving them a represntation percentage of 18.9 against a population percentage of 13. In Bengal the Mohammedans are jiven 1 1 9 seats, with the possibility fasmall number from special condtuencies out of a total of 250, thus •jiey will not have a majority in Ben:al, but there are 25 European seats 3 that province. The Depressed Classes Among other important features in ie scheme is the special treatment stended to the depressed classes. , Ihase, though not among the high ::=tes. are nevertheless Hindus and ie champions of the depressed : classes have urged special represenStion for them, as the most effec•je means of improving their condians and banishing "untouchability. " To this end many of their iampions have advocated separate Crpresentation. The members of the ipressed classes will vote in general aindu constituencies, and also for 20 jars will, where specially numerous, sturn a certain number of depress•iclass memhers for special constir,encies of their own; thus while resnng representation they should uo be able to command consideraiffl from their co-religionists.