DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68025#0129
ROYAL COMMISSION UPON DECENTRALIZATION.
123
17444. The last witness said that he thought it was
not much good to do that, but that the real remedy
was to reduce the size of the districts ; which of those
two remedies do you think is the right one ?—I would
not pronounce positively for either ; no doubt both
could be applied. No doubt some districts are too large,
but I think it is a good thing to have a second man-
a right-hand man as it were—to the Collector, no
matter how small the district.
17445. Then you would prefer the addition of an
officer to the already existing officers rather than the
subdivision of districts ? — I think so, speaking
generally. »
17446. Would you like to see an increase in staff,
not only in the Covenanted Service but in the Pro-
vincial Service also ?—I think so ; there has been some
increase to the Provincial Service lately, but I cannot
say whether it is sufficient or not.
17447. Are you in favour of Advisory Councils for
either the Divisional or District Officer ?—I think not.
I think there are already enough Boards in existence.
17448. Do District Officers consult enough and go
to see the leading men of the district frequently
enough ?—Most officers desire as much as possible to
come into contact with public opinion in their districts,
and, so far as opportunities allow, I think they are
very glad to do so.
17449. What is the obstacle to obtaining information
now from prominent people in a district ?—The officers
are very much over-worked, and they have not the
opportunity of seeing them as much as is desirable.
17450. Is there any disinclination on the part of
the officer or the people to such interviews ?—I think
when an officer has been in a district for some time,
and is well known, the people are always very pleased
to come to him. I have never found, myself, that
people were not glad to come to me both as a District
Officer and a Commissioner.
17451. You think that the only real gulf that there
is between them is the amount of office work ?—I think
so, speaking generally.
17452. It is not lack of knowledge of the language ?
—It might be so in any given case, but, speaking
generally, I think not. There is a tendency on the
part of officers not to acquire a knowledge of the ver-
nacular as they used to do in old days.
17453. Is that because of the constant transfers
from district to district ?—If an officer is being con-
stantly transferred he probably does not pick up a
knowledge of one language very thoroughly.
17454. You say you would like to see the province
of Bengal decentralised into four sub-provinces and
the Commissioner of each sub-province given very
extensive powers ? Supposing that system were
accepted, would you keep your Covenanted Civilians
in each of those sub-provinces perpetually ?—I do not
think it would be possible to keep them in the sub-
provinces perpetually, but I should localise them as
much as possible ; at times it would be necessary to
have transfers. For instance, Bengal would not have
such a good climate as compared with Ohota Nagpur
or Bihar, and perhaps it would be advisable, if a man
had been some time in Bengal, to transfer him to one
of the other provinces.
17455. If you moved a man from Bengal to Orissa
at the end of ten years, what opportunity would he
have of knowing the language of Orissa ; would he
pick up the language easily after 10 years’ service
elsewhere ?—No, not as easily as he would at the
beginning of his service.
17456. Would that not be a difficulty—that you
would practically have to localise your officer perma-
nently ?—I do not think so, because at present we are
not localised, and are liable to be transferred all over
the province.
17457. Is not transference of officers from district
to district with widely divergent languages and
characters of the people a serious obstacle to the good
government of the- country ?—It is desirable to mini-
mise transfers as much as possible, in the interests of
good government.
17458. Has there been any reduction of transfers in
this province lately ?—Speaking generally, I should
think not, but that is a question which could only be
answered absolutely by statistics.
17459. Are youi- relations as a Commissioner with
the Board of Revenue satisfactory or are you obliged
to make too many references to the Board ?—I think
the Board call for a great many reports.
17460. Can you state the subjects of any of those
reports which have been asked for during your 2.J
months’ tenure of office ?—I have noticed a number of
letters asking for an opinion as to the modification of
registers and rules and so forth, some of which pos-
sibly might have been decided by the Board without
sending to every division and every district ; the
Board, however, is responsible for regulating that
class of work.
Mr.H.J.
McIntosh.
3 Jan., 1908.
17461. Could that class of work be regulated by the
Commissioner without detriment to the service ?—
Rigid uniformity is not required throughout the
province, and a good deal of it should be left to the
Commissioner. I am not sure that it is necessary to
have every register exactly the same throughout the
whole province.
17462. With regard to the Court of Wards, could
your work be lightened ; have you not to refer any
expenditure on an estate over the sum of Rs. 500 to
the Board of Revenue ?—-There is a money figure, but
I cannot say what it is at the present moment.
17463. With regard to the Loans Act, are you
satisfied with your powers under that Act ?—I think
so if we get an allotment.
17464. When loans are made do they reach the
tenderer ?—Great pains are taken to see that they do.
I think they do.
17465. As a Commissioner, are you too much of a
post office, and too little of an actual Executive
Officer?-—My experience as a Commissioner is very
brief, but on the whole he is perhaps too much of a
post office, and there is much more passing through
his hands than is really necessary.
17466. Have you seen the suggestions made by the
Government of Bengal for the delegation of authority ?
—I have, but I have not studied them carefully.
17467. Would they result in altering your position
from that of a post office to that which it really ought
to be ?—I think so. I would not use the term “ post
office ” myself, but they would give the Commissioner
a wider hold and sensibly reduce unnecessary work.
17468. Have not your District Officers to report to
you annually on a number of subjects? Would it
considerably lighten your work if all those reports
were condensed into one administrative report ?—I
think it would be a good idea, and lighten the work.
17469. Do you yourself have to submit one annual
report to the Government -of Bengal ?—I report on all
subjects, revenue reports, Court of Wards reports, etc.
17470. To what length do those reports run ?—
Some of them are pretty long.
17471. Would it be advantageous, both to the Com-
missioner and to the authorities with whom he corre-
sponds, if all those reports were boiled down into one
annual administrative report by the Commissioner ?—
I should like to have one big report coming from the
districts and then sent up by the Commissioner for the
division.
17472. Would that be sufficient ? — Speaking
generally ; there might be some particular subject on
which a special report might be required, but ordinarily
one report would cover what is required.
17473. And that would relieve not only the writer
but the reader of those reports ?—I think so.
17474. (Sir Steyning Edgerley.') What led you to
make the suggestion that you would like to see the
advice of Inspectors-General before the Government
of India disposed of a subject on which they had been
advised ?—I think it would probably lead to a reduction
of correspondence. The Local Government sends up
a proposal on which a great deal of correspondence
ensues, and in some cases a conference between a
department of the Government of India and the Local
Government would enable a settlement to be arrived
at, more suitable and more satisfactory.
17475. Is the reference back from the Government
of India perhaps suggested by the advice of the
Inspectors-General on matters which might have been
avoided ?—I should think so sometimes.
33263
Q 2
123
17444. The last witness said that he thought it was
not much good to do that, but that the real remedy
was to reduce the size of the districts ; which of those
two remedies do you think is the right one ?—I would
not pronounce positively for either ; no doubt both
could be applied. No doubt some districts are too large,
but I think it is a good thing to have a second man-
a right-hand man as it were—to the Collector, no
matter how small the district.
17445. Then you would prefer the addition of an
officer to the already existing officers rather than the
subdivision of districts ? — I think so, speaking
generally. »
17446. Would you like to see an increase in staff,
not only in the Covenanted Service but in the Pro-
vincial Service also ?—I think so ; there has been some
increase to the Provincial Service lately, but I cannot
say whether it is sufficient or not.
17447. Are you in favour of Advisory Councils for
either the Divisional or District Officer ?—I think not.
I think there are already enough Boards in existence.
17448. Do District Officers consult enough and go
to see the leading men of the district frequently
enough ?—Most officers desire as much as possible to
come into contact with public opinion in their districts,
and, so far as opportunities allow, I think they are
very glad to do so.
17449. What is the obstacle to obtaining information
now from prominent people in a district ?—The officers
are very much over-worked, and they have not the
opportunity of seeing them as much as is desirable.
17450. Is there any disinclination on the part of
the officer or the people to such interviews ?—I think
when an officer has been in a district for some time,
and is well known, the people are always very pleased
to come to him. I have never found, myself, that
people were not glad to come to me both as a District
Officer and a Commissioner.
17451. You think that the only real gulf that there
is between them is the amount of office work ?—I think
so, speaking generally.
17452. It is not lack of knowledge of the language ?
—It might be so in any given case, but, speaking
generally, I think not. There is a tendency on the
part of officers not to acquire a knowledge of the ver-
nacular as they used to do in old days.
17453. Is that because of the constant transfers
from district to district ?—If an officer is being con-
stantly transferred he probably does not pick up a
knowledge of one language very thoroughly.
17454. You say you would like to see the province
of Bengal decentralised into four sub-provinces and
the Commissioner of each sub-province given very
extensive powers ? Supposing that system were
accepted, would you keep your Covenanted Civilians
in each of those sub-provinces perpetually ?—I do not
think it would be possible to keep them in the sub-
provinces perpetually, but I should localise them as
much as possible ; at times it would be necessary to
have transfers. For instance, Bengal would not have
such a good climate as compared with Ohota Nagpur
or Bihar, and perhaps it would be advisable, if a man
had been some time in Bengal, to transfer him to one
of the other provinces.
17455. If you moved a man from Bengal to Orissa
at the end of ten years, what opportunity would he
have of knowing the language of Orissa ; would he
pick up the language easily after 10 years’ service
elsewhere ?—No, not as easily as he would at the
beginning of his service.
17456. Would that not be a difficulty—that you
would practically have to localise your officer perma-
nently ?—I do not think so, because at present we are
not localised, and are liable to be transferred all over
the province.
17457. Is not transference of officers from district
to district with widely divergent languages and
characters of the people a serious obstacle to the good
government of the- country ?—It is desirable to mini-
mise transfers as much as possible, in the interests of
good government.
17458. Has there been any reduction of transfers in
this province lately ?—Speaking generally, I should
think not, but that is a question which could only be
answered absolutely by statistics.
17459. Are youi- relations as a Commissioner with
the Board of Revenue satisfactory or are you obliged
to make too many references to the Board ?—I think
the Board call for a great many reports.
17460. Can you state the subjects of any of those
reports which have been asked for during your 2.J
months’ tenure of office ?—I have noticed a number of
letters asking for an opinion as to the modification of
registers and rules and so forth, some of which pos-
sibly might have been decided by the Board without
sending to every division and every district ; the
Board, however, is responsible for regulating that
class of work.
Mr.H.J.
McIntosh.
3 Jan., 1908.
17461. Could that class of work be regulated by the
Commissioner without detriment to the service ?—
Rigid uniformity is not required throughout the
province, and a good deal of it should be left to the
Commissioner. I am not sure that it is necessary to
have every register exactly the same throughout the
whole province.
17462. With regard to the Court of Wards, could
your work be lightened ; have you not to refer any
expenditure on an estate over the sum of Rs. 500 to
the Board of Revenue ?—-There is a money figure, but
I cannot say what it is at the present moment.
17463. With regard to the Loans Act, are you
satisfied with your powers under that Act ?—I think
so if we get an allotment.
17464. When loans are made do they reach the
tenderer ?—Great pains are taken to see that they do.
I think they do.
17465. As a Commissioner, are you too much of a
post office, and too little of an actual Executive
Officer?-—My experience as a Commissioner is very
brief, but on the whole he is perhaps too much of a
post office, and there is much more passing through
his hands than is really necessary.
17466. Have you seen the suggestions made by the
Government of Bengal for the delegation of authority ?
—I have, but I have not studied them carefully.
17467. Would they result in altering your position
from that of a post office to that which it really ought
to be ?—I think so. I would not use the term “ post
office ” myself, but they would give the Commissioner
a wider hold and sensibly reduce unnecessary work.
17468. Have not your District Officers to report to
you annually on a number of subjects? Would it
considerably lighten your work if all those reports
were condensed into one administrative report ?—I
think it would be a good idea, and lighten the work.
17469. Do you yourself have to submit one annual
report to the Government -of Bengal ?—I report on all
subjects, revenue reports, Court of Wards reports, etc.
17470. To what length do those reports run ?—
Some of them are pretty long.
17471. Would it be advantageous, both to the Com-
missioner and to the authorities with whom he corre-
sponds, if all those reports were boiled down into one
annual administrative report by the Commissioner ?—
I should like to have one big report coming from the
districts and then sent up by the Commissioner for the
division.
17472. Would that be sufficient ? — Speaking
generally ; there might be some particular subject on
which a special report might be required, but ordinarily
one report would cover what is required.
17473. And that would relieve not only the writer
but the reader of those reports ?—I think so.
17474. (Sir Steyning Edgerley.') What led you to
make the suggestion that you would like to see the
advice of Inspectors-General before the Government
of India disposed of a subject on which they had been
advised ?—I think it would probably lead to a reduction
of correspondence. The Local Government sends up
a proposal on which a great deal of correspondence
ensues, and in some cases a conference between a
department of the Government of India and the Local
Government would enable a settlement to be arrived
at, more suitable and more satisfactory.
17475. Is the reference back from the Government
of India perhaps suggested by the advice of the
Inspectors-General on matters which might have been
avoided ?—I should think so sometimes.
33263
Q 2