Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 10 (2nd edition).pdf/75

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.



MUZAFFARGARI. 63 east and west lies entirely in the hands of the Povindah merchants of Khorasan (Khurásán). The chief articles of export include wheat, sugar, cotton, indigo, and ghi, which are sold by the cultivators to the petty dealers in the villages, who again dispose of them to the l'orindahs. The imports comprise English piece-goods, iron, lime, sugar, manjit, rock-salt, etc. The only town with any commercial pretensions is Khairpur, in the extreme south. Canels form the usual means of transport, wheeled vehicles being practically unknown. Snuff is manufactured throughout the District generally, but more especially at Alipur, whence considerable quantities find their way to the Deraját and Baháwalpur. The only other manufactures consist of country cloth and counterpanes, date leaf mats, and paper. The principal road is that from Múltán to Dera Ghazi Khan, crossing the Chenab at Sher Shah ferry, and running through Muzaffarpur town. The District contains altogether 12 miles of metalled and 524 miles of unmetalled road; and water communication is afforded by the Indus and Chenab rivers. Administration.--- The District staff ordinarily comprises a Deputy Commissioner, 1 Assistant, and 2 extra-Assistant Commissioners, together with the usual fiscal, medical, and constabulary officials. Two munsifs or subordinate civil judges are stationed in the District. The Imperial revenue in 1872-73 amounted to £63,543, of which sum the land-tax (including fluctuating revenue and grazing tax) contributed £58,736. In 1887-81. the Imperial revenue amounted to £71,668, of which 39,825 was derived from fixed land revenue only. Muzaffargarh contained in 1883 a total of 9 civil and revenue judges, and 11 magistrates. During the same year the imperial police force numbered 369 officers and men, besides a municipal constabulary of 45 men. The total machinery, therefore, for the protection of person and property consisted of 414 men, being at the rate of i policeman to every 706 square miles of area and every 818 of the population. The District jail at Muzaffargarh received in 1883 a total nuniber of 583 convicted prisoners, with a daily average of 62. Education still remains in a very backward state. The total number of children receiving instruction in 1875 was 1974, and the cost of the schools was returned at £640. In 1883-84 there were only 29 schools under Governinent inspection, attended by 1545 pupils. This is exclusive of indigenous village schools uninspected by the Education Department, which in 1882 were returned as numbering 381, attended by 2189 pupils. The Census Report of 1881 returned 3279 boys and 122 girls as under instruction, besides 10,598 males and 145 females able to read and write, but not under instruction. As usual in the Punjab, the Hindus contribute a far larger proportion of scholars, relatively to their numbers, than the Muhammadans. For fiscal and administrative purposes the District is sub-divided into 3 tahsils, having their head-quarters at Sanáwán in the