§ 93. Mr. BENNETTasked the Secretary of State for India if he can give the House the result of Lord Meston's arbitration on the claims of the non-Brahmins of the Madras Presidency to special representation in the provincial legislative council; and what decision has 892 been come to as to the representation of the Mahrattas in Bombay?
§ Mr. FISHERThe Government of India have briefly reported by telegram that Lord Meston's award reserves twenty-eight out of sixty-five elective seats for non-Brahmins, and that it proceeds on the view that something less than a clear majority of reserved scats will ensure to the non-Brahmins an effective voice in the interests of their community, while leaving them with a healthy stimulus to strive in the competition of the polls for a representation more closely relative to their numerical strength. So far as I am aware, no decision has yet been arrived at with regard to Mahrattas in Bombay.