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¦ : INDIA AHD INDIAN FRO GRESS. ;
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MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA . We last week called . attention to . municipal institutions in India , and to the retrograde step of 'dismissing the honorary magistrates , which-we considered calculated to weaken the cause of municipal advancement . Mr . Ewart , who has done so much for the practical benefit of India , has , we ai-c glad to see , taken this subject of . municipal institutions under his charge : and as , during the course
of his long parliamentary career , he has never abandoned any measure until lie has succeeded in its realisation , * the friends of India will be gratified to find that thi . s important one is now under his care . ' Proceeding in his usual course , by laying a basis of satisfactory information , Mr . IS wart , on Tuesday , moved for a return of the municipalities of India , and likewise of the honorary magistrates and justices of the peace .
As this subject is little understood in this country ,--even' among old Indians , whoso attention may luiye been chiefly directed to other questions — -to them of more , importance ^—rwe shall proceed to give a . ' few dot a Is . Except in Bombay , where there , are some relics' of the original municipal institutions granted by Charles II .,: wheii Bombay was held of the manor of East Greenwich , the municipal institutions of the chief cities of India arc quite recent , and are regulated by what is called the Nev / Conservancy Act , which received the assent of the Governor-General on the 13 th
June , 1806 . It is Act Nip . XIV . of 1856 . This Act-applies ' . to-the cities of Calcutta , Madras , Bombay , ' the stations of Prince of Wales ' s Island , Singapore , and Malacca , and it gives extensive powers to the commissioners for carrying out public improvements . The Calcutta Act is further modified by Act No . XXVIII . of 185 ( 5 , an Act ¦ for appointing Municipal Commissioners in Calcutta . . We shall give the provisions of this Act , because , being ajvplied to the metropolitan city of India , it will be seen what extent of liberty is likely to be provided for other cities of less
importance . This Act repeals the previous municipal Acts X . and XIl . of 1852 , arid XXVIII . of 1854 . It provides that there shall be three municipal commissioners ; These commissioners are not at all appointed by the English citizens of Calcutta , or by tlie ratepayers , neither have they suiy local qualification . They are strictly Government nominees , and are appointed by the loqal Government of Bengal , being named by the Lieutenants Governor ; and , " n order fully to destroy any independent action , they are " rempveab ' le at his
pleasure . " Thus the city of Calcutta , one of the largest in the English empire and tlie world , ranking next to London in population , and before Dublin , Manchester , or Glasgow , having a large body of English residents , and many wealthy native merchants , landowners , and professional men , is deprived of independent municipal action , and is at the mqrey of three Government nominees . As if in mockery , and to constitute a solemn farce , they are styled the Municipal ' ' Commissioners of the tpwn of Calcutta , and are by such name " a body corporate , and have pcrj . etual succession , and a common seal , and by such name shall sue nnd be sued . " ' They have the attributes of what is ^ commonly understood in England as a corporation , but they have not its soul .
Tnp Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal has power to name one of the'commissioners to be President of the Bonrd , of Comiuistiioncrg , and to fix the allowances the commissioners aro to rcecive . The commissioners are to incut at least once n week , two to form a quorum , and the president to have a casting vote . The commissioners have power toraieo a rate of 7 J per cent , of the animal value of all hquscs , buildings , nnd lands in the town , that is to say , a rate of oigliteonnonoo in the pound . TJjc rates aro payable by the owners of property . TJUotown iti all the jurisdiction under the Supreme Court of Calcutta , so that while English citizens and subjects are there guaranteed all the civil rights and privileges of English civil nnd criminal law , t | io right of a jury in civil nndorhniiuil ctiusos , and tlie protection of the habeas corpus , they arc
deprived of the most ancient of all rights- —of selfgovernment . =. ; ... Public buildings , the Coolie bazaar , and places of worship , are exempt from rates ; and the commissioners may exempt ' from , assessment tenements of less yearly value than twenty-four shillings , if the same be the sole rateable property of the owner . This is 'for the purpose of protecting tlie small owners . Besides the house tax , the '
eommissioners can levy a tax on all carriages , ' carts , hackeries , horses , ponies , and mules , within the town , and all carts and hackeries' plying for hire . Government carriages and animals are , of course , exempt . There Ts , further , a lighting rate of 2 per cent ., or about fivepenee in the pound . The carriage tax includes the following rates :- ^ -Four-wheel- carriage on springs , drawn , by two horses , 11 . 14 s yearly ; hackery or common cart , 6 s . ; horse , 18 s . to
The municipal commissioners have power appoint subordinate oflicers . They are invested with full powers over the streets , paving , lighting , water supply , water ing , scavenging , and sewage , — in the same , way as the corporation , of Manchester . The Calcutta " commissioners were directed to cany out a general plan of main drainage , but they have done nothing for it yet . A very useful power is given to the commissioners to regulate new huts , and to prohibit the building of them . They have authority to name streets and number houses . Very differently from London , in consequence of the , difference of climate , sun shades are allowed to project from the houses . A proper provision—here too much neglected—is authority to the ' -commissioners to
establish public necessaries and urinals . I here is a curious proviso in the clause which gives power to the commissioners to enter any house for the purpose of rectifying the drains or cesspools , and that is , " Provided always , that nothing hereinbefore contained shall authorise an entry into tlie zenanas or private apartments appropriated to the females of lihidoo and Mussulman families for the purpose of ¦ svtclx inspection , except by the agency of women / ' This is just-one of the examples , of the great tenderness for native prejudices of the old Government , without the 'least-regard- for any other considerations . A more equitable consideration would have provided lhat Englishwomen , at least , should not be annoyed by the black my rmidpna of the commissioners , and the" privilege- might have been extended to the females of the families of
other Europeans now increasing ^—of Armenians , Jews , Parsees ; in fact , of females generally , without conferring an insidious prejudice and an invidious distinction . The result of this enactment , the propripty of * which is questionable ( for the practice might have been safely left to the ojlioials ) , is to give a legislative privilege to Hindoo and Mussulman women , and to fortify the accusation that English and other . white women are less endowed with ' feelings of modesty than native females . In the cities of tropical climates bathing is an important practice , . ami accordingly the
commissioners are empowered to sot apart any public ghaut , or pluco , or Iho strand of the river , for tho inhabitants to bathe in ; also , to " set apart a sufficient xuunbor of tanks for the inhabitants to bathe in , " and to sot apart tanks for washing animals or clothes . They can also regulate tho time and place of bathing for persons of each sex , " making duo allowance for tho habits and customs of tho country . " They have control over slimghteiv houses unwholesome trades , burial-grounds , and 14 burning-grounds . " They have directions to provide a registry of deaths .
A rational regulation is , that nil notifications shall bo made in English , as well us in tho vernacular language chiefly in use . , ^ Proceedings under these Acts for appeals on rating , and in questions of dniniigQS , are to bo brought before any two magirttratus , but in Bomboy by the Court of l ' otty . Scssiona . This is exclusive of tho police establishment , wluchi instead of being under tho municipality , according to tho custom throughout tho . empire , ' placed under tho Government , according to tho exceptional practice of the metropolitan police
. engineer is a military of f icer , and so is the chief architect . "The latter receives 840 / . a-year , exclusive of his reuiniental pay and allowances . lie has throe assistants at 4 K 07 ., 300 £ , and-1 . 34 J . ' a-year , the latter a .-native . Instead of the architect being the chief , and tlie military ofticer being his subordinate , all rational arrangements are reversed . We believe in this department , there ' is one young Englishman who has "been trained as an architect , and one as a civil engineer , but we are not quite sure .
the civil architectThe chief The police magistrates are two stipendiarie s one with the enormous salary of 2 , 400 / . a-yunr , ' the other with 960 / . a-year . This latter official who was a native , was lately dismissed . There are a great number of subordinates , and some considerable salaries in the police department . Our readers will not be surprised to lenm that with the course of administration provided in Calcutta inany departments are under military control ; as , for- instance , those of public works and
Under these acts the three ' commissioners lately acting were Mr . ft . Waneh ' , of the '' civil " service ; Major II . L . Thuilh ' er , of the Artillery ; andJIr . A . M . Dowieans—not one merchant or . independent person . Mr . "Wimehope holds likewise . the ofliee of Connuissif » ner of Police , with a . large' salary . As Municipal Commissioner lie received 300 Z . a-year . Major Thuiilier , who holds another ofliee , received 300 / . a-year . Mr . Dowieans , holding no other office , received 1 , 000 / . a-year . Tlie other . chief oiKcialsand salaries at a late ( late were—the Soc-j-ofary to the Commissioners , 960 / .: the Assessor , 480 / . ; the
Surveyor , 840 / . ; the Accountant , 240 / . ; two Jwaniiiiers of Empty Ilouses , 120 / . each ; six . overseers ,. FGS / . each ; Superintendent of Steam-engine ,, l ( JSZ ;' four Inspectors of Wheel and Horse Taxes , 168 Z . each . Municipal Commissioners have been appointed at some of the up-country ' towiis . 011 a more liberal system , including natives as well Europeans , exce . pt ' atSimla , where all the chief inhabitants being English , the commissioners are exclusively English . At Simla the commissioners are chiefly officials . At all places . where the official element is not strong the commissioners are kept under the strict control of the - authorities , as at the large station of Dacca , a city with 4 . 5 , 000 inhabitants and "Teat trade ; but where , ncverthele ^ , in one way otthe
or another , by the injudicious j . rrniigeniunt .-s Government , the action ofthe . nmnicij [ mlity isinucli crippled . The number of commissioners tit Dacca is seventeen—nine English , three Arrneniaii , ' and the others Mahomednnsniul Hindoos . Mr . Forbes who gave much valuable evidence before tho Colonisation Committee on Indian subjects , can ( rive some good information to Mr . Kwart oiv the Dacca municipality , ns he wiw its honorary secretary . Another institution in tins nnturo oU municipal one , is the Local Committee ol lnbho Instruction , of which there was un example -nt Dacca . There wero six ollicial monilnM * , ot whom one is a native , and seven elected members ,, ol whom two are . English , two Anueninns , two Hindoos , and one Mnlioniedan .
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LATEST INDIAN JjSTBLLHJKXCEThe overland mail has arrived with > 'V K ° from Bombay to tho 25 th nit . Tho campaign on 1110 borders of tfopa » l . has not iri | ido any ^ tril 0 ?""" 2 I progress . Brigadier Horsford defeated the a « lvnjoed guard of tho rebels , on tho loth Feb ., in tho nolg - BourlioodofBnnkee . Tho enemy a " ^ y'V ^ . Fnr Won was attacked and captured without lo . s 011 our aido , the rebels taking . flight nt our approach , ana leaving in our lmnds 14 guns and a inortin . J J mnin body of tho insurgents was thirty in Ho a Jo ho eastwardon the northern declivity of t !» o h Us no ng — - ¦ ¦
; VMHbMIUUf WM WHV » wi * i" *« " - f # 1 » fill V Brigadier Uoweroft ' s onmp at Liswa . J ' ° f ' ? attempt should bo made by tlie rebels there , who « J Riipngwd to bo under tho immediate couiiuhi" « JJJ iWgum . Benl Mni . do , un < l Nairn Bij Iil MfK orilerod to tnka up it position on the Gundiilc , 0 r 10 foot , of tho hills , under , tlio comnuind 0 ^ l ° iu . Kelly , Movements of a similar nature lor tl 0 ^ gonr or tiio frontier west of JJunkco wore inn « 0 Iron » Pllibheet Jung Hahadoor line behaved wHH B ^ J J sincerity and oorillnllty throughout , a 1 . 1 « JJ anxloiiBtliut tho misguided remnant o ( 1 JUJ 8 J J should Biirroiulcr rather th « n ft 1 " ^ ' theuiBolvu 8 . to u «
¦ : India Ahd Indian Fro Gress. ;
¦ : INDIA AHD INDIAN FRO GRESS . ;
Untitled Article
408 THE LEADER , [ Ho ,. 470 , M ^ rch 26 . I SSo I ^ ¦ ' . ' ¦ ¦ ' . ' - " _ _ _ : _ . im ¦ ¦ ¦¦¦¦^ »¦ . mi ¦¦ !¦¦¦— ^ m imi ^ m ~^¦ " ¦ MT ^ MMIBH ^ TWBmMB ^^ HMMMMrM ^ Mf ^ MfWWMfTMIM ^ ¦ ¦ ^ mm ^ m * ¦ ' % -M * - ^ ft ^ ic" '
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 26, 1859, page 408, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2287/page/24/
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