DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68025#0115
ROYAL COMMISSION UPON DECENTRALIZATION.
109
you should be able to transfer your officers as you
please ? —I undoubtedly think the head of the Govern-
ment should have a voice in the matter. I think the
system under which we work is not a good one. My
proposal goes to the Secretariat, and is noted on by
the Secretary ; it may be criticised there, and possibly
it may go on to the Lieutenant-Governor for final
decision, without my knowing, or having any oppor-
tunity of replying to, any arguments that are put
forward in the Secretariat, for or against my proposal.
17107. Have you power to post or transfer subordi-
nate officers, the Assistant Surgeons or Civil Hospital
Assistants ?—Yes, I can post them except in the, case
of a Civil Surgeoncy ; if a Civil Assistant Surgeon is
appointed to a Civil Surgeoncy I require the sanction
of Government ; with regard to the majority of
appointments to which that class are appointed, I can
appoint them myself.
17108. And the same with regard to Civil Hospital
Assistants ?—I have full authority over them.
17109. Amongst your Commissioned Officers have
you any whom it would be desirable to get rid of ?—
I think that, as a body, they are a very efficient service
of men. Possibly there are one or two that I might
be willing to get rid of.
17110. Have you any difficulty in retiring officers
from the Service on account of their connection with
the Indian Medical Service ?—There is no means of
retiring them as long as they behave properly ; it is
a very difficult thing to prove that a man is inefficient.
17111. If you had a free hand with regard to
Commissioned Officers, would it be easier for you to
retire inefficient officers ?—We had it in evidence in
Madras that it was difficult to get rid of inefficient
Medical Officers because the Director-General would
not take such officers back to Military employ, and in
Madras there were officers who were retained in the
Service to its detriment because of the difficulty of
retiring them ; is that the case in Bengal ?—No, I
will not go so far as to say that.
17112. Is there any Sanitary Board in Bengal ?—
There is ; I am not a member of it. I know very little
about its work. I sometimes get references from the
Sanitary Board on sanitary and medical and other
questions.
17113. You say that your Service is controlled by
the Director-General of the Indian Medical Service,
with whom you correspond. Does he interfere in
any way with your administrative action ?—No, there
is very little interference ; he has a right to interfere
in a few of our appointments in Calcutta ; for instance,
the Principal and the Professors of the Medical
College and the Superintendent of the Presidency
General Hospital are appointed subject to the approval
of the Government of India ; they have nothing to
do with other appointments, and they never interfere
with them. The system I think is a good one. It
was introduced so that we should have a larger field
of selection of officers for these appointments, pro-
fessorships and that sort of thing.
17114. You say that your system is “ unnecessarily
cumbrous, dilatory and roundabout ” ?—I have to
send up so many references to Government that I
might settle myself if I had general authority to do
so. The number of references in my office is some-
thing enormous; I had them counted about two
months ago, and they then amounted to 881 during
the year, and I suppose by the end of the year they
amounted to a thousand. They were unofficial
references of various kinds. Many of them were very
important. Many of them were points that I could
easily have settled myself.
17115. Do you think one half of them might be
unimportant ?—Perhaps a third.
17116. (Mr. Dutt.) When you appoint Civil Assis-
tant Surgeons are their names gazetted in the Gazette
by the Secretariat ?—On first admission to the Service
they are gazetted ; not after that.
17117. So that practically it amounts to nomination
by the Secretariat ?—It is nomination by the Secre-
tariat, but the appointments are actually made by me ;
when the appointment ,is made I send up the notifi-
cation to the Secretariat to be published in the
Gazette.
17118. Have you also the power of transferring
them and promoting them ?—Yes ; but as regards
promotion to the senior grade I have to refer to
Government; they always accept my nomination.
Other promotions are regulated by periodica] exami-
nations.
17119. Do you select them for first appointment after
an examination, or do you select them from qualified
men from the Medical College ?—I ask the Principal of
the Medical College to give me a list of applicants or
candidates for Government service; he gives me a
report regarding their college career, their records,
their qualifications and so on ; then with this list
before me I select those whom I consider the best
men.
17120. Are these Assistant Surgeons in charge of
sub-jails in sub-divisions under the orders of the Sub-
Divisional Officers ?—They are.
17121. Are the relations between them and the Sub-
Divisional Officers satisfactory?—No, not always. I
think they ought to be relieved of their position as
regards sub-jails in sub-divisions ; that is a proposal
that is now about to be submitted to Government.
They are made to do work in sub-divisions which I
think they ought not to do ; they have to do the work
of clerks, and they resent that very much, naturally.
I have been in communication with the Inspector-
General of Jails on that point, and he agrees with me
that clerks should be appointed to the clerical work of
a sub-jail instead of the Assistant Surgeon.
17122. Are Civil Surgeons generally in charge of
district jails ?—They are. Medical Officers are in
charge of all central jails in this province now, with
the exception of one at Alipur.
17123. In that capacity are they in any way sub-
ordinate to the District Magistrate?—-Not as regards
central jails. The Magistrate is pratically the official
visitor in the case of district jails ; I do not think he
exercises authority, except that he visits the jail
regularly every week, and he concerns himself chiefly
with under-trial prisoners, to see how long they have
been detained, and points of that kind.
17124. The relations so far are satisfactory?—I
think so.
17125. (Mr. Hiche.ns.) Are the hospitals in a district
under your direct control ?—A great many of them are
now under the control of the District Boards. I
exercise a certain amount of supervision over them
through the Civil Surgeons, but the district hospitals
outside the district headquarters are practically under
the District Boards; they can appoint' their own
Medical Officers if they choose, and they manage them
in every respect in accordance with the rules of the
Medical Department.
17126. (Mr. Meyer.) You said that the local bodies
have the power to employ outride medical men ; do
they generally exercise that power?—What we call
local native doctors ; they very often employ those ;
they get them a good deal cheaper than our men.
17127. Do you exercise any pressure on them to take
your men?—Not at all.
17128. Have you anything to say to the budgets of
the District Boards in the matter of provision of
medical relief ?•—No, they do not come to me.
17129. They are referred to the Civil Surgeon?—A
Civil Surgeon is always a member of the local muni-
cipality and the District Board.
17130. Do your Civil Surgeons take much part in
municipal administration as Vice-Chairmen or Chair-
men?—-We do not encourage them becoming Chairmen
of municipalities, for various reasons ; it interferes
with the work, and makes them unpopular. For
instance, we had a man not long ago as Vice-Chairman
of a municipality in Bihar, and I had frequent
anonymous communications about him, solely founded
on his being rather strict about the work of the muni-
cipality, cleansing drains and so on ; it is not a position
to be encouraged at all. Besides, a Civil Surgeon has
far too much work to do to be Chairman of a muni-
cipality.
17131. Have you ever made suggestions to the Local
Government to reduce the large number of unofficial
and other references by giving you greater powers? —
I am only telling you what the system is ; it has been
the system in my office for some years. As a matter of
fact, I have not tried since I have taken charge.
Col. Macrae.
2 Jan., 1908.
109
you should be able to transfer your officers as you
please ? —I undoubtedly think the head of the Govern-
ment should have a voice in the matter. I think the
system under which we work is not a good one. My
proposal goes to the Secretariat, and is noted on by
the Secretary ; it may be criticised there, and possibly
it may go on to the Lieutenant-Governor for final
decision, without my knowing, or having any oppor-
tunity of replying to, any arguments that are put
forward in the Secretariat, for or against my proposal.
17107. Have you power to post or transfer subordi-
nate officers, the Assistant Surgeons or Civil Hospital
Assistants ?—Yes, I can post them except in the, case
of a Civil Surgeoncy ; if a Civil Assistant Surgeon is
appointed to a Civil Surgeoncy I require the sanction
of Government ; with regard to the majority of
appointments to which that class are appointed, I can
appoint them myself.
17108. And the same with regard to Civil Hospital
Assistants ?—I have full authority over them.
17109. Amongst your Commissioned Officers have
you any whom it would be desirable to get rid of ?—
I think that, as a body, they are a very efficient service
of men. Possibly there are one or two that I might
be willing to get rid of.
17110. Have you any difficulty in retiring officers
from the Service on account of their connection with
the Indian Medical Service ?—There is no means of
retiring them as long as they behave properly ; it is
a very difficult thing to prove that a man is inefficient.
17111. If you had a free hand with regard to
Commissioned Officers, would it be easier for you to
retire inefficient officers ?—We had it in evidence in
Madras that it was difficult to get rid of inefficient
Medical Officers because the Director-General would
not take such officers back to Military employ, and in
Madras there were officers who were retained in the
Service to its detriment because of the difficulty of
retiring them ; is that the case in Bengal ?—No, I
will not go so far as to say that.
17112. Is there any Sanitary Board in Bengal ?—
There is ; I am not a member of it. I know very little
about its work. I sometimes get references from the
Sanitary Board on sanitary and medical and other
questions.
17113. You say that your Service is controlled by
the Director-General of the Indian Medical Service,
with whom you correspond. Does he interfere in
any way with your administrative action ?—No, there
is very little interference ; he has a right to interfere
in a few of our appointments in Calcutta ; for instance,
the Principal and the Professors of the Medical
College and the Superintendent of the Presidency
General Hospital are appointed subject to the approval
of the Government of India ; they have nothing to
do with other appointments, and they never interfere
with them. The system I think is a good one. It
was introduced so that we should have a larger field
of selection of officers for these appointments, pro-
fessorships and that sort of thing.
17114. You say that your system is “ unnecessarily
cumbrous, dilatory and roundabout ” ?—I have to
send up so many references to Government that I
might settle myself if I had general authority to do
so. The number of references in my office is some-
thing enormous; I had them counted about two
months ago, and they then amounted to 881 during
the year, and I suppose by the end of the year they
amounted to a thousand. They were unofficial
references of various kinds. Many of them were very
important. Many of them were points that I could
easily have settled myself.
17115. Do you think one half of them might be
unimportant ?—Perhaps a third.
17116. (Mr. Dutt.) When you appoint Civil Assis-
tant Surgeons are their names gazetted in the Gazette
by the Secretariat ?—On first admission to the Service
they are gazetted ; not after that.
17117. So that practically it amounts to nomination
by the Secretariat ?—It is nomination by the Secre-
tariat, but the appointments are actually made by me ;
when the appointment ,is made I send up the notifi-
cation to the Secretariat to be published in the
Gazette.
17118. Have you also the power of transferring
them and promoting them ?—Yes ; but as regards
promotion to the senior grade I have to refer to
Government; they always accept my nomination.
Other promotions are regulated by periodica] exami-
nations.
17119. Do you select them for first appointment after
an examination, or do you select them from qualified
men from the Medical College ?—I ask the Principal of
the Medical College to give me a list of applicants or
candidates for Government service; he gives me a
report regarding their college career, their records,
their qualifications and so on ; then with this list
before me I select those whom I consider the best
men.
17120. Are these Assistant Surgeons in charge of
sub-jails in sub-divisions under the orders of the Sub-
Divisional Officers ?—They are.
17121. Are the relations between them and the Sub-
Divisional Officers satisfactory?—No, not always. I
think they ought to be relieved of their position as
regards sub-jails in sub-divisions ; that is a proposal
that is now about to be submitted to Government.
They are made to do work in sub-divisions which I
think they ought not to do ; they have to do the work
of clerks, and they resent that very much, naturally.
I have been in communication with the Inspector-
General of Jails on that point, and he agrees with me
that clerks should be appointed to the clerical work of
a sub-jail instead of the Assistant Surgeon.
17122. Are Civil Surgeons generally in charge of
district jails ?—They are. Medical Officers are in
charge of all central jails in this province now, with
the exception of one at Alipur.
17123. In that capacity are they in any way sub-
ordinate to the District Magistrate?—-Not as regards
central jails. The Magistrate is pratically the official
visitor in the case of district jails ; I do not think he
exercises authority, except that he visits the jail
regularly every week, and he concerns himself chiefly
with under-trial prisoners, to see how long they have
been detained, and points of that kind.
17124. The relations so far are satisfactory?—I
think so.
17125. (Mr. Hiche.ns.) Are the hospitals in a district
under your direct control ?—A great many of them are
now under the control of the District Boards. I
exercise a certain amount of supervision over them
through the Civil Surgeons, but the district hospitals
outside the district headquarters are practically under
the District Boards; they can appoint' their own
Medical Officers if they choose, and they manage them
in every respect in accordance with the rules of the
Medical Department.
17126. (Mr. Meyer.) You said that the local bodies
have the power to employ outride medical men ; do
they generally exercise that power?—What we call
local native doctors ; they very often employ those ;
they get them a good deal cheaper than our men.
17127. Do you exercise any pressure on them to take
your men?—Not at all.
17128. Have you anything to say to the budgets of
the District Boards in the matter of provision of
medical relief ?•—No, they do not come to me.
17129. They are referred to the Civil Surgeon?—A
Civil Surgeon is always a member of the local muni-
cipality and the District Board.
17130. Do your Civil Surgeons take much part in
municipal administration as Vice-Chairmen or Chair-
men?—-We do not encourage them becoming Chairmen
of municipalities, for various reasons ; it interferes
with the work, and makes them unpopular. For
instance, we had a man not long ago as Vice-Chairman
of a municipality in Bihar, and I had frequent
anonymous communications about him, solely founded
on his being rather strict about the work of the muni-
cipality, cleansing drains and so on ; it is not a position
to be encouraged at all. Besides, a Civil Surgeon has
far too much work to do to be Chairman of a muni-
cipality.
17131. Have you ever made suggestions to the Local
Government to reduce the large number of unofficial
and other references by giving you greater powers? —
I am only telling you what the system is ; it has been
the system in my office for some years. As a matter of
fact, I have not tried since I have taken charge.
Col. Macrae.
2 Jan., 1908.