Report on the Administration of the Punjab and its Dependencies, for 1906-1907 to 1911 (bounded together)

· 1908 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Registration.

2District boards

3and munici-

4palities.

5Operations of

6the Depart~

7ment of Agri-

8culture.

9The Veteri-~

10nary Depart-

11ment.

12Agricuitural

13pests.

14vi PUNJAB ADMINISTRATION REPORT. [ 1906-1907.

15e

1615. , There was a very marked increase in the number of documents

17compulsorily presented for registration. Although special circumstances helped

18locally to bring this about, the general cause appears to have been the compara-

19tive immunity from plague during the first half of the year and the consequent

20completion of transfers held in abeyance. A new system for the remuneration

21of Sub-Registrars by making them public servants with a fixed salary and a

22percentage of the fees has been introduced, and promises to be successful.

23LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

2416. There is nothing to note in the working of district boards during

25the year. The Gurgaon district board has been reconstituted as a wholly

26nominated body. In municipalities the chief feature of interest is the first.

27year’s working of new Account Code and the system of refunds of octroi

28without enquiry introduced from ‘the Upper Provinces. The diversity of the

29figures makes it difficult to form any safe opinion regarding the financial

30effects of the new system, but there is no doubt that there has been a general

31improvement in the working of the staff and in the methods of collection.

32The percentage of the cost to the income resulting from this tax is so high

33. in many of the smaller municipalities as to show that it is unsuited to them,

34and that a substitute will have to be found.

35AGRICULTURE, WEATHER AND CROPS.

3617. The year has been chiefly spent in the general organization

37of the Agricultural Department formed last year. An agricultural chemist

38and an expert in botany have been appointed. The subordinate staff is

39not yet up to full strength, and several stipendiary candidates are

40receiving ‘education in Cawnpore. The conditions of the ‘year were

41unfavourable to experiments, but there was a considerable advance in

42the amount of selected grain distributed. The chief problem at present

43exercising the Director is the selection of a suitable thresher and winnower

44and a good reaping machine. These are urgently required on account of the

45terrible scarcity of labour due to the ravages of plague. A light reaping

46machine, which is extremely popular, has been introduced, and it is intended ,

47to import a large number for private purchasers next year. A satisfactory

48thresher and winnower has yet to be discovered.

4918. A marked improvement is reported in the educational qualifications

50of students admitted to the Veterinary College, and the graduates, who qualified,

51succeeded at once in obtaining employment. The year was an unhealthy

52one among cattle, and epidemics of rinderpest, hemorrhagic septicaemia

53and blackquarter occurred in several districts. A vigorous campaign of preven-

54tive inoculation was carried on and was attended by a considerable measure

55of success, the number of animals treated by the department increasing by 40

56per cent.

571g. Measures were taken to prevent a recurrence of the damage

58done in the previous year to the cotton crop by the boll-worm, Partly

59owing to these precautions and partly to a satisfactory fall of rain in Septem-

60ber, the ravages of the pest were not, serious, At the beginning of the cold