Since our meeting last year at Kandy, there have been some important happenings to which I must now refer in some detail.

A new Constitution has been promulgated, and the elec­tions for the new Parliament will be held next year. The new Constitution generally follows the recommendation of the Soulbury Report, with a few unimportant changes introduced by the Secretary of State.
It is a fact that this Constitution is disappointing, and falls far short of what we had a right to exgect, although it is an advance in some respects on the existing Constitution. After fifteen years of the Donoughmore Constitution, the next step should at least have been full Dominion Status.

You will remember how hard our Sabha tried to secure a fuller measure of freedom-the conference of members of the State Council, over which I presided, the boycott of the Soulbury Commission, the Sri Lanka Bill introduced by me. Unfortunately, there was such a lack of agreement and unity amongst the various parties and sections of the people that in the end we were compelled to acquiesce in the proposed ,Constitution for the present.

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