The Government of India have practically set their seal of approval on the Craddock scheme of reforms for Burma so heartily hated by the Burma public. Their despatch makes few modifications on the Lieutenant-Governor’s scheme and where they do make a modification, it may perhaps be regarded as a change for the worse. There is, doubtless, some semblance of an elective majority, but what with the method of indirect election persisted in and the great influence of headmen over elections, the elective majority will be nominal. The Government of India set much store by the fact that 56 members will be elected of whom 6 will be recommended by the Chamber of Commerce and other like bodies. Of the remaining 50 members, 31 are to represent the District Council. Considering that these Councils will be swamped by village headmen, and considering the fact that these headmen can be pulled by the higher bureaucracy any way they like there will be no difficulty in realising that these seats may be reckoned as those belonging to the officials.
