n6 PARLIAMENTARY YEAR, 1911 



Cabinet Ministers, and having, I honestly believe, 

 enjoyed their complete confidence, I have been for 

 many years in close touch with the Cabinets at 

 Home, and so far as I am able to judge, our Indian 

 Council works very much as does the English 

 Cabinet. We, also, have our differences and 

 dissents, but a capable and sensible Governor- 

 General can always count on the support of a large 

 majority of his Council over which he merely 

 presides, his vote counting for no more than do 

 those of the other members. In Council the 

 Governor-General becomes a " colleague/' 



When the decision of Council has to be recorded, 

 the President calls on the last joined member to 

 speak first, the next junior to speak next, and so 

 on, the senior member expressing his opinion last. 

 The intention is that the younger members should 

 not be " over-awed " by their seniors. The plan 

 works excellently and is, I am told, based on the 

 practice which prevailed at the meetings of the 

 oldEast India Company's Board. The Commander- 

 in-Chief is an " extraordinary ' member and, 

 theoretically, only participates in the discussion of 

 military matters. In practice his opinion is given, 

 and is both sought and welcomed, on any matter 

 in which he takes an interest. 



From an " Englishman's " standpoint the great 

 flaw in the Indian Governmental system lies in the 

 fact that the " Secretaries to Government," the 

 equivalent of our Under-Secretaries of State, take 

 the " file " (papers) which are to come under dis- 

 cussion direct to the Viceroy before the Council 

 sits and discuss the question at issue with him in 

 private. There is a twofold objection to this 



