208 LABOUR IN MADRAS I have carefully studied the problem of Franchise in the Madras Presidency. I have the honour to belong to a small Society of careful researchers in the city of Madras, who, after painstaking investigations, have embodied the results of their study in a 60-page volume of royal 8vo, size. I am referring to the Transaction of the Neo-Fabian Society on The Problem of Franchise in the Madras Presidency, and I beg to draw the attention of the Committee to that publication.* In drawing up our Neo-Fabian Scheme, we kept in mind the Labourer, and it will serve my purpose to give the qualifications for voters purposed by us. (1) All those who pay the income-tax, or the professional tax (2 Graduates of all Indian and foreign Universities reoognis. ed by their respective Governments. (3) Any person paying land revenue directly. (4) Occupants of houses and premises of the annual rental value of Rs. 48 in municipal areas and Rs. 24 in non municipal areas. (5) Tenants of Lawindari and Raiyatwari holdings payicg ks. i0 rental. As will be seen from pp. 40-41 the people thus en franchised will be about four millions in the Madras Presidency. This may sound appalling in view of the Franchise Committee's 542,000 total electors, but with due deference to that body, I may point out that it tried to please a few somewhat obstinate and retrogressive Madras officials and did not view the problern from a
- * I hope I shall not be considered as transgressing my pro vince as a witness before this Committee if I also venture to draw their attention to another Transaction of the Society on Problems of Reform in the Government of India which throws light on the thorny subjects of the Indian Legislative Assembly, the Council of State and Electoral Methode.
