LABOUR AND THE CONSTITUTION,

467
measures ; the views of the wider community can be effectively voiced
in the legislatures themselves. The present system looks too much to
the official element [or the interpretation of these views ; this is possibly
a survival from the period when the majority in the legislature was not
slected.
An Industrial Council.

We recommend the constitution by statute of an organisation
by which representatives of employers,.of labour and of Governments
would meet regularly in conference. The organisation, which might be
called the Industrial Council, should be sufficiently large to ensure the
adequate representation of the various interests involved, but it should
not be too large to prevent members from making individual contributions
to the discussions. The determination of the actual size and composition
of the Council will require further examination, and this question may
need reconsideration after some experience has been gained. On the basis
of the present constitution and distribution of provinces, but excluding
Burma, we give the following particulars, less as a definite recommenda-
tion than as an illustration of the type of body we have in mind.

Government members—

3 representatives from the Central Government, 2 each from
Bengal and Bombay, and 1 from each of the other major
provinces, making

Employers’ representatives—

4 from Bengal, 3 from Bombay, 2 each from Madras, United Provinces
and Bibarand Orissa, 1 from each of the other major provinces
and 1 from the minor provinces collectively, making .. ..

Labour representatives—
Distributed similarly to the employers’ representatives, making '
Railway representatives— .

2 representatives of State railways, 1 of company-managed railways

and 3 of railway labour, making .. ‘e
Nominated non-official members in es se
Total - 57
The last class should be nominated by the Central Government, who
should use it to appoint at least one woman, and might also secure the
inclusion of one or two economists or other non-official experts. Official
experts, unless they happen to be nominated as representatives of Govern-
ments, should be able to attend in the capacity of advisers. In our view
the labour members should be elected by registered trade unions, and some
such machinery as we have indicated earlier in connection with the parlia-
mentary franchise might prove suitable for the purpose of these elections
also. Where no trade unions of any size were in existence, it would be
the duty of Government to nominate the labour representative. The
employers’ representatives should also be elected by associations. Where
a province has more than one representative of employers and of workers,
it would be preferable to have single member constituencies rather than
combined constituencies ; but whichever method is adopted, the voting
power of employers’ associations should be approximately proportionate
bo the number of workers which their members employ. We recommend
that, when the new Constitution is framed, the Council, whether it has
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