2. My Committee may in this connection be allowed to recall that on 13th July last they had submitted a representation by telegram to the Honourable the President urging the continuation of special representation for commerce and industry in the future Legislatures, both Central and Provincial. They had pointed out that the system of special representation had in the past been found to be very useful and that Commissions and Committees appointed to review the progress of Constitutional Reforms in the country from time to time had been quite outspoken in their tributes to the contribution made and the utility of the services rendered by representatives of commerce and industry in the sphere of legislative work. They had drawn the attention of the Constituent Assembly to the authoritative expressions of opinion by the Lothian Committee on Indian Franchise, when they urged the importance of securing the presence in the Legislature of men qualified to speak with knowledge and authority on economic issues. General constituencies obviously cannot be relied on to return in sufficient numbers members with practical experience of commercial and industrial problems, particularly in view of the fact that unlike other politically advanced countries party alignments on a rational basis have yet to be developed in this country. Particularly at a juncture like the present when questions of an economic character will loom large in the legislative activities of the new Dominion and in the Provinces, the presence of men, with representative capacity qualified to speak on economic and commercial matters would be of considerable advantage to the country in the accomplishment of the task ahead and the realization of the objectives underlying any planned programme of progress.
