Speech made, as Member for Veyangoda, in moving the Motion : 9th June 1932
I would like to mention the fact that since I gave notice of this motion many months ago certain steps have been taken in the Local Administration Committee, to which I belong myself. We hope that before many weeks are out the Com­mittee will consider in detail the necessary amendments to the Village Communities Ordinance. I myself have placed before the Committee a memorandum on the subject.

But as this motion is here I should just like to say a few words. I do not think it necessary to take up much of the time of the House, but I think it would serve a useful pur­pose if I draw the attention of the House to the salient points in connection with this Ordinance.
The Village Communities Ordinance, No. 9 of 1924, is an Ordinance which superseded the previous Village Commu­nities Ordinance of 1889. The real desire on the part of the movers of this Ordinance was to bring matters to what they believed to be more in line with the spirit of the old Gansabhawa. There is one point only to which I will refer, in the present Ordinance. Rightly or wrongly power

is given to the Committee to make rules. In fact, the in­habitants are given more powers under this Ordinance than under the Ordinance of 1889. There are other powers too conferred on the Village Committees under the present Ordinance as compared with the old Ordinance. But we have found for some years that the Village Communities Ordinance as it stands is defective in many respects.
I think it is important that Village Committees should function efficiently. Probably in our ancient forms of Gov­ernment there was no more admirable institution than the Gansabhawa in the various functions it performed. In the early days Gansabhawns performed various functions of a wide nature; and if we want self-government I think the true foundation would best be laid by seeing that our Village Committees function as efficiently as they might.

....... (continued)