cision should be referred to an arbitrator appointed for the purpose by the Government of India.

(d) The Committee would recommend that similar treatment be accorded to the Mahrattas in the Bombay Presidency. (e) The question whether women should or should not be admitted to the franchise on the same terms as men should be left to the newly elected legislative council of each province to settle by resolution. The Government of India should be instructed to make rules so that, if a legislative council so voted, women might be put upon the register of voters in that province. The Committee have not felt able to settle this question themselves, as urged by the majority of witnesses who appeared before them. It seems to them to go deep into the social system and susceptibilities of India, and, therefore, to be a question which can only, with any prudence be settled in accordance with the wishes of Indians themselves as constitutionally expressed.

(f) The Committee are of opinion that the franchise as settled by the rules to be made under this Act should not be altered for the first ten years, and that it should at present be outside the power of the Legislative Councils to make any alteration in the franchise. The recommendation, therefore, in respect of woman suffrage, is to be regarded as altogether exceptional, and as not forming any precedent in respect of proposals for other alterations. (g) The special representation of landholders in the provinces should be reconsidered by the Government of India in consultation with the local governments.

(h) The franchise for the University seats should be extended to all graduates of over seven years' standing.

(i) The Government of India should be instructed to consult with the Government of Bengal in respect of the representation of Europeans in Bengal. It appears to the Committee that there are good reasons for a readjustment of that representation. The recommendations of the

report of the Franchise Committee in respect of European representation in other provinces may be accepted.

(j) The question whether the rulers and subjects of Indian States may be registered as electors or may be elected to the legislative councils should be left to be settled in each case by the local government of the province.

(k) The Committee are of opinion that dismissal from the service of the government in India should not be a disqualification for election, but that a criminal conviction entailing a sentence of more than six months' imprisonment should be a disqualification for five years from the date of the expiration of the sentence.

(1) The compromise suggested by the Franchise Committee in respect of the residential qualification of candidates for legislative councils whereby the restriction was to be imposed only in the provinces of Bombay, the Punjab, and the Central Provinces may be accepted.

(m) The recommendations of the Franchise Committee in respect of the proportionate representations of Mohammedans, based the Lucknow compact, may be

accepted.

on

Two further observations must be made on this question of franchise. It seems to the Committee that the principle of proportional representation may be found to be particularly applicable to the circumstances of India, and they recommend that this suggestion be fully explored, so that there may be material for consideration by the Statutory Commission when it sits at the end of ten years. Further it has been strongly represented to the Committee, and the Committee are themselves firmly convinced, that a complete and stringent Corrupt Practices Act should be passed and brought into operation before the first elections for the legislative councils. There is no such Act at present in existence in India, and the Committee are convinced that it will not be less required in India than it is in other countries."-Jt. S. C. R. 1.

For composition of Council see M-C. R. 225, 233; for designation of members and abolition of the term "Additional Members see M-C. R. 234. For persons entitled to be called Honorable

see notification no. 4067 in the Gazette of India dated December 11, 1920, p. 2244. For system of election see M-C. R. 226; for communal electorate see M-C. R. 227-32.

Number of members of the Governor's Council fixed by notification No. 767-F in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated July 29, 1920::

Madras.-98 elected and 29 nominated members of whom not more than 19 to be officials-total 117.

Bombay.-86 elected and 25 nominated member, of whom not more than 16 to be officials-total 111.

Bengal.-113 elected and 26 nominated members of whom not more than 18 to be officials-total 139.

United Provinces.-100 elected and 23 nominated members of whom not more than 16 to be officials-total 123.

Punjab.-71 elected and 22 nominated members of whom not more than 14 to be officials-total 93.

Central Provinces.-37 elected and 33 nominated member of whom not more than 8 to be officials-total 70.

Behar and Orissa.-76 elected and 27 nominated members of whom not more than 18 to be officials-total 103.

Assam.-39 elected and 14 nominated members of whom not more than 7 to be officials-totals 53.

For rules making provisions under Cl. (4) for the various governor's councils, see notification No. 767-F in the Gazette of India Extraordinary July 29, 1920. [Madras, pp. 791-813; Bombay, 814-836; Bengal, 837-860; United Provinces, 861-884; Punjab, 885-907; Behar and Orissa, 908-932; Central Provinces, 933-952; Assam, 953-971] corrected by notification No. 880-F in the Gazette of India Extraordinary, September 27, 1920.

8.-(1) Every governor's legislative council shall

Sessions and duration of governors' legislative councils.

continue for three years from its first meeting:

Provided that

(a) the council may be sooner dissolved by the

governor; and

(b) the said period may be extended by the

governor for a period not exceeding one year, by notification in the official gazette of the province, if in special circumstances (to be specified in the notification) he so think fit; and

(c) after the dissolution of the council the governor shall appoint a date not more than six months or, with the sanction of the Secretary of State, not more than nine months from the date of dissolution for the next session of the council.

(2) A governor may appoint such times and places for holding the sessions of his legislative council as he thinks fit, and may also, by notification or otherwise, prorogue the council.

(3) Any meeting of a governor's legislative council may be adjourned by the person presiding.

(4) All questions in a governor's legislative council shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present other than the person presiding, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

see s. 72 B. Act. For composition of council cf. s. 7 (s. 72A, Act); for business and procedure in Council see s. 11 (s. 72D. Act).

For power of dissolution see M-C. R. 254.

Presidents

lative councils.

of

9.-(1) There shall be a president of a governor's legislative council, who shall, until governors' legis- the expiration of a period of four years from the first meeting of the council as constituted under this Act, be a person appointed by the governor, and shall thereafter be a member of the council elected by the council and approved by the governor :

Provided that if at the expiration of such period of four years the council is in session, the president then in office shall continue in office until the end of the current session, and the first election of a president shall take place at the commencement of the next ensuing session.

(2) There shall be a deputy-president of a governor's legislative council who shall preside at meetings of the council in the absence of the president, and who shall be a member of the council elected by the council and approved by the governor.

(3) The appointed president of a council shall hold office until the date of the first election of a president by the council under this section, but he may resign office by writing under his hand addressed to the governor, or may be removed from office by order of the governor, and any vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term of office of an appointed president shall be filled by a similar appointment for the remainder of such term.

(4) An elected president and a deputy-president