INDIAN ELECTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17945, 24 November 1932, Page 7

INDIAN ELECTIONS

COMMISSION’S TASK THE WOMEN’S FRANCHISE ! SOME DIFFICULT ASPECTS (British Official Wireless.) Rcc. 10 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 22. The Indian Round-Table Conference completed the discussion of the ■woman franchise question. At present women electors in India are in the ratio.of one woman to 21 men. The Lothian committee consider this insufficient and made various suggestions considerably increasing the number of women voters. Literacy qualifications, plus property qualifications, produced a ratio of one woman to .12 men voters.

The conference, on the whole, seemed to favor a literacy test in preference to a primary standard test, since it gave a larger number of women voters. Some difficulty was encountered regarding the wives and widows’ class, numbering 4,300,000, the inclusion of which would increase the ratio of women voters to one woman to 4.4 men. Several objections were advanced to the qualification and it was agreed that the matter be further examined. It was suggested that a separate section might be secured giving wide latitude to various provinces.

Dealing with the question regarding the method of election to British Indian seats in the federal assembly, the conference favored direct election, but as the question was not uneonneced with the size of the federal assembly, it was pointed out that acquiescence in direct election should be without prejudice to a later decision on the size of the house. It was generally agreed that the qualifications of the present Legislative Councils would be suitable to the ndw assembly.