Bengal ministers’ salaries

Lahore, Thursday, August 28, 1924

THE Swarajists in the Bengal Legislative Council scored one of their greatest victories by their success in throwing out the demand for the ministers’ salaries at the Tuesday sitting of the Council in the face of odds, one of which was the decision arrived at by the Muslim party to support the demand. In the course of the speech, which he made in moving the reconsideration of the demand for the ministers’ salaries, Mr James Donald, apart from some fallacious arguments which he put forward in support of his motion, also repeated the threat, that was held out by the Times, of retransferring the transferred departments to the reserved side. He said: “In refusing the salaries of the ministers, the Council has gone beyond the spirit of the Constitution. Had the present ministers not consented to carry on, it would have been necessary to have recourse to the provisions of the Transferred Subjects Temporary Administration Rules. These rules provide for the administration of Transferred Subjects in the absence of ministers. This again contemplates the appointment of ministers in the absence of provision for the payment of ministers. If the Council continues to withhold such provision, such administration would be prolonged to such an extent and would be so much more than temporary that recourse would have to be taken to measures such as the transfer to the reserved list of the transferred subjects, a going back on the whole object of the Reforms. I cannot believe that this Council would seriously contemplate a reversal to the old constitutions and the loss of the power and responsibilities which have been conferred on the Legislature.”