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and what becomes of the large budget grants, nobody seems to know or care to know. Work, that can be and is done, and done satisfactorily, by a supervisor and four or fire overseers in the British Provinces-is here in the hands of a divisional Engineer on about Rs. 900, a District Engineer on about Rs. 500 and an Irrigational Engineer on 400, with an endless number of subordinates and assistants. But how this small amount of work is carried out by this large staff it is interesting to note. Except in some Divisional and District head-quarters, of roads worthy of the name there are none in the districts. Many of them are in such a wrecked condition that it is a wonder that man walks on them and beasts draw loaded carts over them, I am not indulging in exaggeration I have stated simply facts, facts that I challenge anybody in the department to gainsay. And yet the District Engineer is hard at work all during the year, the Divisional Engineer, who all through the year is occupied with receiving reports from the District office and sorting them to the Head Office, superintends once a year, and the Superintending Engineer the Secretary to the Government in the department, makes an annual tour. How each of these officers is satisfied with the work he has inspected, it is impossible to understand. If there be too little work to keep engaged all the hands in the department, and I know at least one Divisional Engineer who has the frankness to confess that he gets pay for no work done- why not reduce their number? And if there be enough of work for all what is there that prevents the Head of the department from seeing that this work is satisfactorily done, that the money devoted thereto is not wasted? I shall have more to say about this department in future letters.
Of late much has been written in the Madras papers about police zoolum in the Mofussils of your Presidency. But the state of things which attracted so much attention there cannot be as bad as that here. Of police zoolum as it prevails in the Districts of these Dominions, those that have the "misfortune" to live in the Mofussil there cannot have an idea. If a man is wise or values his time he will not go to "the custodians of
