236 LABOUR IN MADRAS Tamil, or Hindustani was spoken. He would not be able perhaps to talk of subjects which were outside his province, and would not be able to advise, say, on agriculture or other matters. Let us carry that to the Legislative Council. You speak of the language bar; do you think you could have found a mill hand in Bombay who could have taken bis place in the Legislative Council, where of course English is the official language ? Do you think you could have found a man ?...No. You would have had to go outside the mills to get a labɔurer's representative....Yes, at the present moment that would happen. Supposing you give the vote to the factory labourers in Bombay, Calcutta or Madras at the present moment, I think an outsider would have to represent them. As to their power to form opinions and to guide the representative, is it not the case that the factory hands in India are in a peculiar sense a gregarious people and follow their leaders, very often not knowing what they are doing and what they are following ?...I should not think so. From my own experience and I have had to deal as I have said with two lock-outs and two strikes in a short period of 16 months, I can tell you that it took us many hours of discussion and debate to come to a settlement. They are not in a position to follow very meekly, and to say yea to everything their leaders say. They are rather given to a thorough discussion and debate of the points which are raised, and to come to an agreement after certain discussion. MAJOR ORMSBY-GORE . I take it that you suggest that if this Committee
