"تقرير عن إدارة رئاسة بومباي لسنة ١٨٨٨-١٨٨٩." [ظ‎‎١‎٣] (٤٥٦/٣٣)

BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[ 1888 - 89 .
District
Municipalities.
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chieflj of certain claarifcable citizens, were a nuisance and a danger to the
community. JEiglity-six fires occurred during the year, and caused the
destruction of property worth 7§ lifkhs. The fire brigade was found to require
re-organization. The number of street accidents was 490, or 95 more than in the
previous year, in spite of a large concurrent extension in the provision of paved
foot-paths. The attendance in the 62 primary schools, towards which the
Municipality contributed Tts. 87,633 during the year, showed some decline.
Under the new Act a Joint Committee of eight members for the control of
primary education has been appointed by Government and the Corporation.
The number of district municipalities was as in the previous year 153. The
number of municipal commissioners was 2,193, of whom 896 were elected and
the rest nominated. The commissioners paid, in general, fair attention to their
duties; but in some of the larger towns men of business were discouraged from
regular attendance by the waste of time which occurred at the meetings. The
aggregate income, exclusive of balances, of all the municipalities amounted to
38 lakhs, exceeding the income of the previous year by about a lakh. In the
Northern Division the revenue of the Ahmedabad Municipality was swelled to the
extent of more than 4| lakhs by a loan for new water-works and the deposits of
the contractors ; but on the other hand the revenue of the Karachi Municipality
which had contracted a similar loan in the previous year decreased by 2 | lakhs,
and in the municipalities of the Central Division there was a falling off of true
revenue to the extent of a little over one lakh. The incidence of municipal tax
ation varied from Rs. 0-13-3 per head in the Southern Division to Rs. 1-12-9 in
Sind. The receipts from octroi decreased everywhere except in Sind. The
aggregate expenditure of the municipalities amounted to 38^ lakhs, exceeding
the income of the year by half a lakh and the expenditure of the preceding year by
nearly 4 lakhs. The increase occurred in Sind and the Northern Division, where
the loans incurred by the Karachi and Ahmedabad Municipalities, either in the
previous year or in that under report, were being spent. Many of the municipa
lities, especially in the Central Division, had large balances invested in Govern
ment paper, which are intended to be devoted to works of water-supply or
drainage.
During the year under report the strength of the Bombay Army in both
its European and Native components was increased from 38,892 to 39,675 men,
owing to the transfer from Madras to Bombay of the Nagpore Command
carrying with it two regiments and a battery. The total cost of the array
during the year was 259| lakhs, or Rs. 11,252 in excess of its cost in 1887.
The year was distinguished by several important changes in organisation. The
separate department of the Judge Advocate General for Bombay was abolished
with those of the othei TTesidencies, on the creation or a single department for
all India, and the establishment retained for Bombay was considerably reduced.
The Presidency Commands and Staff were entirely reorganised; the most
important changes, besides the abolition of the terms “Division” and
“ Brigade” in favour of the term “ District ” in denoting the senior commands,
being the reduction of the Northern Division from a Major-General’s to a
second class District Command, the reduction of the second class Brigade of
Nasirabad to a Station command, and the transfer, referred to above, of the
Second Class District of Nagpore from Madras to Bombay. Satisfactory pro
gress was made with the coast defences of Bombay, Karachi and Aden, and
nevv guns were mounteo. in some of the forts. All the batteries on the war
establishment of the aimy have now been supplied with new 12 -pounder breech-
loadmg guns. Gymnastic and garrison instruction was carried on at the usual
places during the year. For the annual musketry course canvas instead of