DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68025#0048
42
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE :
Maharaja
Ma/nindra
Chandra
Nandy.
28 Dec., 1907.
they are not able to hold conversation in the language
of the people, and the presence at many district head-
quarters of a fairly large European population, with
whom, naturally, European officials prefer to spend
their leisure. The creation of Advisory Councils
would go far to remove the obstacles to which I have
referred.
District Officers must always be carefully selected.
Everybody is not fit to be a District Officer. It is an
office of high responsibility which needs the exercise
of great tact, judgment and care. The delegation of
larger powers will, of course, involve more careful
selection. But if there are Advisory Councils, the
risks of an unhappy selection are very much mini-
mised.
I do not think that any general increase in the
district staff is required. Their work would be
lightened by the creation of Advisory Councils. Some
districts may appear too large, as, for instance, Midna-
pore in Old Bengal and Mymensingh in the new
province. But there is a very strong feeling against
partition of any kind, and local feeling should be
respected. Sometimes District Officers are kept too
long in a particular district, and they imbibe prejudices
which a prolonged association with the environments
of a particular place is apt to produce. Sometimes
again transfers are too frequent ; and an officer is
sent away just as he has got in hand the threads of
the administration, or is in the middle of a local
undertaking of importance.
As regards municipalities, I would strongly recom-
mend an extension of their powers. In Bengal the
municipalities under Lord Ripon’s Local Self Govern-
ment Resolution were created in 1884. Nearly a
quarter of a century has now elapsed; but their
powers remain the same as at the time of their original
creation, although Lord Elgin’s Government, in a
formal resolution, declared that the local bodies had,
on the whole, been successful throughout India. At
present the Magistrate exercises a minute control over
the smallest details of municipal administration. I
think this control should be relaxed and should be
confined only to the major heads of the budget. In
selected municipalities which might be named in a
schedule, even this measure of control might be with-
drawn and the municipalities permitted, as in the case
of the Calcutta Corporation, to frame their own
budgets in their own way. I would not invest District
Boards with the power of supervision over munici-
palities. A Central Board like the Local Government
Board in England might be formed, consisting of two
or three members, one of whom should be an experi-
enced non-official Chairman of a municipality, to
control the municipalities of the province.
As regards the District Boards the Magistrate and
Collector, who in Bengal is always the Chairman,
should be released of this responsibility and a non-
official gentleman should be appointed. The work of
the Board is often practically done by the Vice-
Chairman, who is a non-official member. The District
Board is practically a department of the Government,
and the Executive officer and the Government exercise
minute control over its operations. Its powers in
respect of education, medical aid and sanitation are
largely controlled by the Government ; and the power
of making rules reserved to the Government regulates
and restrains the functions of District Boards in the
exercise of many of the functions.
It is both possible and desirable to group together
a number of villages and invest them with ■ powers in
the disposal of local affairs relating to revenue, police,
sanitary, educational and other matters, such as the
disposal of petty civil and criminal cases.
15264. Are you in favour of giving the Local
Government power of borrowing money in the open
market up to a certain limited extent ?—Yes.
15265. Are you engaged yourself in any occupation,
or in finance, in such a way as would lead you to know
what the state of the local money market is ?—No, not
particularly.
15266. Can you tell us whether there is, at all events
in Bengal, a rupee market which is untouched by the
issues of the Government of India at present ?—The
whole of it is already touched.
15267. Would you like to see, in the case of Bengal,
the Head of the Government assisted by an Executive
Council ?—Yes. Such an Executive Council should
consist of two or three members.
15268. Then would you like to see very much larger
powers given to the Commissioners so as to make them
like the Commissioner in Sind.—-Yes. I have been in
Sind once, but I am not acquainted with the Govern-
ment.
15269. You do not wish to see the control of the
Government of India removed from the Local Govern-
ment ? Will you tell me why ?—Because if there is to
be any check it must be done properly.
15270. Are you afraid if the control were removed
that the Local Government would get out of hand ?—
Yes...
15271. Would you leave the Commissioner the right
to nominate persons upon the Advisory Council ?—■
I think that should be done by the higher officers, and,
of course, the Council for a Magistrate would be
nominated by him with elected members.
15272. You would like to see the Commissioner’s
Council partly elected and partly nominated?—Yes.
I think two-thirds should be elected, and one-third
nominated.
15273. Would you like the Collector to have a
similar Council ?—Yes. There would be two Coun-
cils, one for the Commissioner and one for the Col-
lector.
15274. Do you think that on the whole, the District
Officers know the people who live in their districts
pretty well ?—No, from my own personal knowledge I
can say that the District Officer does not know them
pretty well.
15275. Which particular district do you live in
now ?—I live in Murshidabad ; I have been in many
districts in Bengal, and from my personal experience
I know that the Magistrate and the local officers are
not acquainted with many of the people.
15276. Are they intimate with you ?—Yes, of
course, they are with me.
15277. But not with persons who are in a lower
social position ?—Quite so.
15278. Do you think that they, perhaps, go to see
the gentlemen of high position and do not go amongst
the people ?—Generally the Magistrate does not go
anywhere ; we go to him to pay our respects, and when
we go to him he asks questions about the district, and
whenever he goes out on tour he usually goes to a
European resident of the place. Of course if there is
anything important to enquire about, he enquires
about it, and then goes back.
15279. When the District Officer comes into that
part of the district where you live, does he make a
call upon you, or do you go to see him ?—I go to
see him.
15280. Does he return the call?—No. Some
Magistrates pay return visits but not all.
15281. Does the Commissioner pay you visits ?—Not
always ; sometimes.
15282. Do you think it would improve things if,
when the District Officer went round and native Indian
gentlemen called upon him, he always returned their
calls ?—Yes, that would be a good thing no doubt be-
cause he would find out the proper state of things.
15283. And then, perhaps, he would have a greater
knowledge as to whom to put upon the Advisory
Council ?—-Yes, he would meet gentlemen who could
give him all sorts of information with regard to
different parts of the district.
15284. Do you find in any cases complaints that
District Officers are not very courteous to people who
come to see them ?—I have seen it, but not with
regard to all.
15285.—You have found them discourteous once or
twice ?—Yes.
15286. That is very regrettable and tends to keep
the people at a distance ?—Yes.
15287. Have you noticed that more lately, or has it
been less than it was ?—Some three years ago a
M agistrate was posted in our district of that nature.
15288. And, of course, the> people kept away from
him ?—Yes.
15289. The last witness stated that he did not think
it was very much good giving increased powers to
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE :
Maharaja
Ma/nindra
Chandra
Nandy.
28 Dec., 1907.
they are not able to hold conversation in the language
of the people, and the presence at many district head-
quarters of a fairly large European population, with
whom, naturally, European officials prefer to spend
their leisure. The creation of Advisory Councils
would go far to remove the obstacles to which I have
referred.
District Officers must always be carefully selected.
Everybody is not fit to be a District Officer. It is an
office of high responsibility which needs the exercise
of great tact, judgment and care. The delegation of
larger powers will, of course, involve more careful
selection. But if there are Advisory Councils, the
risks of an unhappy selection are very much mini-
mised.
I do not think that any general increase in the
district staff is required. Their work would be
lightened by the creation of Advisory Councils. Some
districts may appear too large, as, for instance, Midna-
pore in Old Bengal and Mymensingh in the new
province. But there is a very strong feeling against
partition of any kind, and local feeling should be
respected. Sometimes District Officers are kept too
long in a particular district, and they imbibe prejudices
which a prolonged association with the environments
of a particular place is apt to produce. Sometimes
again transfers are too frequent ; and an officer is
sent away just as he has got in hand the threads of
the administration, or is in the middle of a local
undertaking of importance.
As regards municipalities, I would strongly recom-
mend an extension of their powers. In Bengal the
municipalities under Lord Ripon’s Local Self Govern-
ment Resolution were created in 1884. Nearly a
quarter of a century has now elapsed; but their
powers remain the same as at the time of their original
creation, although Lord Elgin’s Government, in a
formal resolution, declared that the local bodies had,
on the whole, been successful throughout India. At
present the Magistrate exercises a minute control over
the smallest details of municipal administration. I
think this control should be relaxed and should be
confined only to the major heads of the budget. In
selected municipalities which might be named in a
schedule, even this measure of control might be with-
drawn and the municipalities permitted, as in the case
of the Calcutta Corporation, to frame their own
budgets in their own way. I would not invest District
Boards with the power of supervision over munici-
palities. A Central Board like the Local Government
Board in England might be formed, consisting of two
or three members, one of whom should be an experi-
enced non-official Chairman of a municipality, to
control the municipalities of the province.
As regards the District Boards the Magistrate and
Collector, who in Bengal is always the Chairman,
should be released of this responsibility and a non-
official gentleman should be appointed. The work of
the Board is often practically done by the Vice-
Chairman, who is a non-official member. The District
Board is practically a department of the Government,
and the Executive officer and the Government exercise
minute control over its operations. Its powers in
respect of education, medical aid and sanitation are
largely controlled by the Government ; and the power
of making rules reserved to the Government regulates
and restrains the functions of District Boards in the
exercise of many of the functions.
It is both possible and desirable to group together
a number of villages and invest them with ■ powers in
the disposal of local affairs relating to revenue, police,
sanitary, educational and other matters, such as the
disposal of petty civil and criminal cases.
15264. Are you in favour of giving the Local
Government power of borrowing money in the open
market up to a certain limited extent ?—Yes.
15265. Are you engaged yourself in any occupation,
or in finance, in such a way as would lead you to know
what the state of the local money market is ?—No, not
particularly.
15266. Can you tell us whether there is, at all events
in Bengal, a rupee market which is untouched by the
issues of the Government of India at present ?—The
whole of it is already touched.
15267. Would you like to see, in the case of Bengal,
the Head of the Government assisted by an Executive
Council ?—Yes. Such an Executive Council should
consist of two or three members.
15268. Then would you like to see very much larger
powers given to the Commissioners so as to make them
like the Commissioner in Sind.—-Yes. I have been in
Sind once, but I am not acquainted with the Govern-
ment.
15269. You do not wish to see the control of the
Government of India removed from the Local Govern-
ment ? Will you tell me why ?—Because if there is to
be any check it must be done properly.
15270. Are you afraid if the control were removed
that the Local Government would get out of hand ?—
Yes...
15271. Would you leave the Commissioner the right
to nominate persons upon the Advisory Council ?—■
I think that should be done by the higher officers, and,
of course, the Council for a Magistrate would be
nominated by him with elected members.
15272. You would like to see the Commissioner’s
Council partly elected and partly nominated?—Yes.
I think two-thirds should be elected, and one-third
nominated.
15273. Would you like the Collector to have a
similar Council ?—Yes. There would be two Coun-
cils, one for the Commissioner and one for the Col-
lector.
15274. Do you think that on the whole, the District
Officers know the people who live in their districts
pretty well ?—No, from my own personal knowledge I
can say that the District Officer does not know them
pretty well.
15275. Which particular district do you live in
now ?—I live in Murshidabad ; I have been in many
districts in Bengal, and from my personal experience
I know that the Magistrate and the local officers are
not acquainted with many of the people.
15276. Are they intimate with you ?—Yes, of
course, they are with me.
15277. But not with persons who are in a lower
social position ?—Quite so.
15278. Do you think that they, perhaps, go to see
the gentlemen of high position and do not go amongst
the people ?—Generally the Magistrate does not go
anywhere ; we go to him to pay our respects, and when
we go to him he asks questions about the district, and
whenever he goes out on tour he usually goes to a
European resident of the place. Of course if there is
anything important to enquire about, he enquires
about it, and then goes back.
15279. When the District Officer comes into that
part of the district where you live, does he make a
call upon you, or do you go to see him ?—I go to
see him.
15280. Does he return the call?—No. Some
Magistrates pay return visits but not all.
15281. Does the Commissioner pay you visits ?—Not
always ; sometimes.
15282. Do you think it would improve things if,
when the District Officer went round and native Indian
gentlemen called upon him, he always returned their
calls ?—Yes, that would be a good thing no doubt be-
cause he would find out the proper state of things.
15283. And then, perhaps, he would have a greater
knowledge as to whom to put upon the Advisory
Council ?—-Yes, he would meet gentlemen who could
give him all sorts of information with regard to
different parts of the district.
15284. Do you find in any cases complaints that
District Officers are not very courteous to people who
come to see them ?—I have seen it, but not with
regard to all.
15285.—You have found them discourteous once or
twice ?—Yes.
15286. That is very regrettable and tends to keep
the people at a distance ?—Yes.
15287. Have you noticed that more lately, or has it
been less than it was ?—Some three years ago a
M agistrate was posted in our district of that nature.
15288. And, of course, the> people kept away from
him ?—Yes.
15289. The last witness stated that he did not think
it was very much good giving increased powers to