§ Considered in Committee.
§ [Mr. BOWLES in the Chair]
The Lord President of the Council Mr. Herbert Morrison)I beg to move,
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that His Majesty will give directions that a Mace and Speaker's Chair be presented on behalf of this House to the House of Representatives of Ceylon, and assuring His Majesty that this House will make good the expenses attending the same.It is proposed, if the Committee is good enough to pass this Motion, that these gifts should be made by the House of Commons for the purpose of marking Ceylon's attainment of fully responsible self-government and full membership of the Commonwealth of Nations, which took place on 4th February, 1948. They are tokens of the good will of the House of Commons and of the people of the United Kingdom towards the House of Representatives and the people of Ceylon. They take with them our best wishes for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Ceylon, as I am sure all hon. Members will agree.The arrangements for presenting these gifts and the selection of the Parliamentary Delegation, are matters for Mr. Speaker, but I understand that he has it in mind to arrange that a Delegation led by the Chairman of Ways and Means should go out to Ceylon during the Christmas Recess. The Ceylon Speaker hag been consulted, and he has advised about the designs, which embody certain symbols of special significance in Ceylon. The Mace and Chair are now nearly finished, and it is understood that Mr. Speaker intends to have them on display in the House of Commons before the Christmas Recess.
§ Mr. R. A. Butler (Saffron Walden)I should like to associate my hon. and right hon. Friends on this side of the Committee with this very happy occasion. We feel that this is a very attractive 2182 way of helping to indicate the interest which is felt in the House of Commons in the institutions of responsible Government in Ceylon. Indeed, many of my hon. Friends on this side have taken an interest in this subject for the last year and more, and the matter was raised on one occasion by my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans), who has himself made some very practical suggestions about the nature of the wood and other matters which would, perhaps, have helped to embellish the Chair. We are, however, comforted to feel that the Chair will be embellished not so much by designs provided from this side of the water but by designs which were suggested from Ceylon itself, and we shall very much look forward to seeing the Chair and also the Mace which we understand will be on exhibition here before Christmas.
We are also glad to see that a suggestion we also raised, namely, of the type of Delegation, has now been virtually agreed and fixed, and that the Chairman of Ways and Means is likely to lead that Delegation to Ceylon. Those who go from the House of Commons will be indeed fortunate. They will be ambassadors who can go from us to show the people of Ceylon what good we wish them in their future, and what a great occasion this is in the history of the Commonwealth to which we are all so devoted.
§ Mr. Thomas Reid (Swindon)I am happy to be able to say a few words on this occasion, as I spent a good many years of my life in Ceylon. I am very glad indeed that this demonstration of friendship is being made by this ancient institution to a country which has a very ancient history. During the war the Ceylonese people stood by us through thick and thin and after the war they, of their own free will, entered the Commonwealth. In that country democracy, in my opinion, has taken root, and it is, therefore, very appropriate that the House of Commons should send a symbol from the House to the people of Ceylon, where it will be keenly appreciated by the people over there. This Motion will help to cement the bonds of real friendship which exist between the little island and ourselves.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Resolution to be reported tomorrow.