PZ 3941/33 'Reforms: position of Aden, British Baluchistan, NWFP [North-West Frontier Province] and Department of External Affairs' [‎18v] (28/62)

Introduction.
14
84. Finally, it shonM.
General or a Governor is not . fhat he ghould be
requirements of constitutional oeoi\ , Parliament for any
responsible to His Majesty s io^n ^nd^l arlmme
in t ^ 7. Governor the ehain of responsibility
must necessarily include the Governor-General.
85 The proposals indicated above have no reference to situations
where* a complete breakdown of the constitutional machinery has
occurred It L the intention of His Majesty's Government that the
Constitution should contain separate provision to meet such situatiomc
should they unfortunately occur either in a Province oi m he
Federation’as a whole, whereby the Governor-cenera or the
Governor, as the case may be. will be given plenan authontv to
assume all powers that he deems necessary for the purpose of carrying
The Provincial Legislature.
86 . The Provincial Legislatures will be enlarged to the member
ship first indicated in His Majesty’s Government s (ommunal
Decision—(Cmd. 4147)—and now more exactly specified in Appendix
to these proposals (or to a strength closely approximating to
the figures there indicated) and seats will be apportioned to the various
communities in the proportion shown in the same Appendix. The
members will be in all cases elected, and no official will be eligible
for election. In three Provinces the Legislature wil be bi-cameral :
in the remainder it will consist of a single Chamber. Bui power will
be given to each Provincial Legislature to abolish the Upper Chamber
where such a Chamber exists or to create an Upper Chamber where
it does not exist. The powers of provincial Upper Chambers will not
be co-extensive with those of the Lower Chamber, but will extend
only to revision and delay.
The Provincial Franchise.
87. Details of the franchise proposed in the case of the various
Provincial Legislatures are given in Appendix . The franchise
in question is essentially based on property, supplemented by an
educational qualification common to men and women alike; by a
qualification for women in respect of property held by a husband
by provision directed to secure a Depressed Class' electorate oi
1 () per cent, of the Depressed Class population in each province,
except in Bihar and Orissa where the general percentage oi
enfranchisement is in the neighbourhood of 9 per cent, only, and
in the North West Frontier Province, where the numbers of the
Depressed Classes are negligible; and by provision of a special
electorate for the seats proposed to be reserved for the representatior
°: Commerce, Labour and other special interests. Registration oi
claimants m respect of an educational qualification or of a womar
qualified in respect of her husband’s property will, at any rate foi
the first two elections, be on application by the potentLl v'oter only
A precise statement of the numerical effect of the electora
qualifications proposed cannot be given pending the preparation
a provisional electoral roll. So far as can be judged, however thes
proposals, if accepted, would, in the typical case of Bengal
enfranchise some 7* millions, or some ,5 per cem ouf o
a total population of 50 millions. In the 'ease nl 'lin h
the percentage to be enfranchised would nrobablv he Jv. ? A'
than in Bengal; in Madras and the United Prmnncest ifn
approximately the same- in all nthpr • 1(68 11 would hi
substantially lower, the lowest figure heiim Ched • " (1 * 0nld b<
Bihar and Orissa, with an electorate of some 7 ir’ tJle ca3 f 0
9 per cent, of the total population. The General efSJ 'T 0r ahou
o the proposals in question for India "as T whof ' a “ e P tan «
electorate in the neighbourhood of H per '^1 T be ”
population, or some 27 per cent of the sUif , ■ ° f the tote
A separate franchise will be itt
of Sind and Orissa. In the case of Sind thffc • new f’ rovin eei
will Probably he substantially identical in generalWt®^