'Muscat. Wazir of - Appointment, Leave, Pay, etc, of' [‎212r] (433/546)

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If a cut is irapossible, the Council
suggested {on March .12th) an alternative: a reduction of
22t% on the average expenditure of the last two years,
free of any stipulation as to pay reduction# I have told
.iOsvle Uiv-1 i„ this entails a reduction in the nunioers of
the force, X will undertake to press the Council to
recruit up to the sanctioned strength in the autumn, if
the financial situation is by then sufficiently improved.
might adopt; to explain why either of the above alterna
tives cannot be accepted, I cannot very well tell the
Council that the P.H. does nt;)t agree to the cut of
because he H has a soft corner in his heart for the sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. 1 ,
which was the reason given me on February 17th and not
modified or amplified since. Previous to that, in the
latter part of January, the Commandant had raised but not
strongly pressed the possibility of the reduction in pay
causing discontent; neither the Council nor J'owle upheld
this objection. There is always an element of risk in
cutting ihe pay of armed men, but in this case it seemed
justified by the State's bankruptcy. After fourteen
weeks* negotiations, the Council has obtained a reduction
of 10^, including only a 5^ cut in the pay. This is not
enough to enable the State to meet current expenditure
from current income, as it does not Justify salary
reductions to the other much lower-paid dex^artments.
the essentials of the Government of Indian policy with
regard to Muscat} I also have the coniidence oi the
Council. Yet I find myself in the worst tangle of my
official career. I saw how things were shaping last
February, which was why I asked if X might come ana
ihere is yet a third course which the authorities
^s far as X know them, I nave not departed from
aiscuss