CO882-(3-4) — Page 626

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TLC.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

4 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

Paragraph 36 of Despatch.

Public Works,

8

the Government Agent from that town to Trincomalee.

I gather, however, that the object of the latter proposal was to facilitate the abolition of the Assistant Collectorship of Customs at Trincomalee; if this supposition is correct, the small saving to be thereby effected trust be dispensed with.

16. Turning to the Public Works Department, it will be noticed that the question of page 5 of print the future salary of the Director of that department has been settled by the decision separately arrived at, to combine hereafter the offices of Director of Public Works and Surveyor General, on a salary of fifteen thousand rupees.

Rs. 15,000.

Paragraph 37,

&c., of Des-

patch

Page 19 of print.

Page 7 of print. l'aragraph 39 of Despatch.

Rs. 10,000.

Rs. 50,736.

Rs. 50,000.

.R. 110,736.

Survey Depart- ment, pages 7 and 20 of

rint

I agree with Sir J. Longden that, in view of the present circumstances of the Colony, the fact that the most pressing public works have now in the main been carried out, and the extension of the contract system in connexion with the upkeep of the roads of the island, the staff of the Public Works Department can be reduced, and Mr. Churchill's scheme of reorganization (which I have not thought necessary to refer to Sir C. Hutton Gregory, as Mr. Saunders has suggested in his memorandum,) can, as he proposes, be gradually brought into operation, provided that you are satisfied that the details do not require modification, as, for example, in respect of confining the ranks of the District Engineers to "trained engineers selected in England," and the somewhat inadequate proposal, as it appears to me, for giving quadrennial increments only to the district engineers and inspectors of roads.

The retention of the North Central Province will, I presume, involve also the retention of a provincial engineer for that province.

As regards the maintenance of roads, I quite agree with the Committee and with Sir J. Longden, that those lines of road which compete with the railway should not be maintained at a heavy expense, and am glad to find that Sir J. Longden considers a large reduction of expense can be made in this direction.

On the whole it seems reasonable to look for a saving of ten thousand rupees on account of amalgamation of the offices of Surveyor General and Director of Public Works, fifty

thousand seven hundred and thirty-six rupees on account of reorganization of the Public Works staff as given in the report, and fifty thousand rupees on account of upkeep of roads, making a total of one hundred and ten thousand seven hundred and thirty six rupees.

17. Under Survey Department, I would call your attention to the observations made in Mr. Saunders' memorandum as to the benefits which would result to the revenue if a regular land settlement in the Western Province were to be sanctioned. The point seems to be well worthy of consideration, if it has not already been fully considered, but the local government, I presume, would not be able to allow any fresh outlay on this l'age & of print. account at the present time.

Postal

Paragrapli 41 of Despatch.

Queen's Advo. cate's Depart- ment.

Paragraph 42.

8,198. 5,19%.

18. The abolition of the two Postmasterships mentioned in the Report, having already been shown on this year's estimates, cannot again appear in the calculation of possible reductions.

In the 69th paragraph of his Despatch, Sir J. Longden states that the recommendation of the Committee that the Colony be no longer allowed to carry foreign correspondence at a loss, can only be brought into effect by withdrawing from the Postal Union, and he arlds, It is true that advantages in the matter of that he is slow to recommend such a step. foreign postage, which are paid for from the Colonial revenue, do not benefit the natives so much as the European residents; still I agree with the late Governor that such a step as withdrawal from the Postal Union should not be entertained, as it would appear to the general public to be a retrograde movement on the part of Ceylon.

Further, it would seem from recent correspondence between the Treasury and this office, setting forth the total loss to be charged to Ceylon on account of the conveyance of mails, that little or nothing would be saved by leaving the Union.

19. Under the Queen's Advocate Department, I will consent, as Sir J. Longden concurs, to the abolition of two of the deputies to the Queen's Advocate, but it is right l'aze 8 of print. to point out that Mr. Ferdinands in his Report on the Criminal Statistics for 1882, throws doubt on the advisability of thus weakening the Department, and Mr. Burnside, before his return to the Colony, intimated his opinion that the legal judicial branches of the service had hardly received sufficient consideration at the hands of the Committee.

I would further call your attention to Mr. Saunders' suggestions under this head, "that when vacancies occur in the Queen's Advocate's Department, they should be filled by gentlemen in the Civil Service who have had a legal education in England, have .“ been called to the English bar, and have had judicial experience in Ceylon." It appears to me that this suggestion may as well be further considered, and possibly be partially adopted, with a view to training civil servants for higher judicial offices.

Pare 10 of priac.

16

9

Judicial.

The subject, however, is one which requires to be separately dealt with. 20. The recommendation of the Committee to abolish the District Judgeship of Kegalla Pages 8 and 9 as a separate appointment, which will involve a saving of four thousand eight hundred of print. rupees per annum, can be carried out, as Sir J. Longden is satisfied that it is practicable; Paragraph 43 but the arrangements to be made in connexion with this step should be carefully watched, of Despatch. as the Government Agent of the Western Province has expressed himself so strongly 0 of against it.

Mr. Saunders, however, seems to admit that some economy may possibly be effected in regard to the appointment in question.

Under police courts I shall not allow for any immediate saving on account of the employment of native magistrates.

Rs. 4,800.

print.

Page 19 of print

General and

Fiscal.

21. The Committee propose to amalgamate the offices of Registrar-General and Fiscal Registrar of Colombo; but, as far as it is possible to judge without local experience, it would seem preferable, on grounds both of economy and efficiency, to adopt the alternative Page 9 of print.

Paragraph 45 scheme suggested by Sir J. Longden, and to devise some arrangement for transferring to the respective Government Agents of Kandy and Colombo the duties of Fiscal at these two stations.

Such a transfer would, I presume, involve some addition to their office staff, and would furnish a further argument, if one were required, for relieving the Government Agent of Colombo from the municipal work with which he is now overweighted.

of Despatch.

Page 10 of

22. Under Public Instruction the Committee propose to effect a saving amounting Education. according to the Schedule to Rs. 138,000, the saving to be made partly by adopting print. a proposal of the late Director of Public Instruction for throwing upon the munici- Page 48 of palities and local boards, where they exist, the cost of maintaining the English and print. Anglo-vernacular Government Schools within their limits, and partly by cutting down

the net expenditure of Government on education generally to Rs. 300,000.

The latter suggestion was made by Mr. Dickson, and supported by six other members Pages 89, 40 of of the Committee, but was opposed by four unofficial members, two of whom represent print. the native interests, and Mr. Rama Nathan in his separate memorandum has strongly 7,796. deprecated the reduction.

I presume the ground on which 'this sweeping retrenchment is supported is, that the annual sum of Rs. 300,000 is sufficient to carry out a good system of vernacular teaching, and that English education can well be left to private enterprise, provided that the central institutions of the Royal College and Normal School be duly maintained.

I cannot, however, but think, that the large reduction now proposed would be carried out only "at the risk (to quote the words of the Committee, page 15) of paralysing that "excellent system which should in the best interests of the Colony be developed "instead of being curtailed," and that if carried out immediately, it would involve breach of faith with the managers of grant-in-aid schools, who have been led to rely upon receiving help from public funds. It would, however, perhaps be well to warn those who are interested in educational work in Ceylon, that if the financial difficulties of the Colony continue, it may be found necessary shortly to make reductions, which (to use the words of Mr. Dickson's motion) shall be "fairly distributed over the two systems of Government "schools and grant-in-aid schools."

The proposal to hand over the English and Anglo-vernacular schools in towns to the municipalities and local boards, giving them the option of maintaining them as grant-in- aid schools, by which it is hoped to effect a saving of Rs. 25,000, may be carried out, as Sir J. Longden approves of it; though the poverty of the municipalities in Ceylon, Paragraph 50 and the want of interest in them on the part of the local residents, which has more than once been shown and commented upon, leads me to fear that the change will not be heneficial from an educational point of view. I am not, however, prepared to accept Sir Paragraph 58. J. Longden s suggestion for extending this new arrangement to vernacular schools situated

in towns.

Apart from other considerations, I am not satisfied that the municipalities can equitably be called upon to bear the cost of their vernacular schools. English schools may perhaps be considered a luxury of the towns, as opposed to the country districts; but the same argument can hardly be applied to schools in which the vernacular only is taught, and at present it appears to me desirable, that, whether in town or country, they should be charged against the general revenue of the island.

of Despatch.

I agree with Sir J. Longden, that the teachers in the Government English and Anglo- Paragraph 52. vernacular schools who have a contingent right to pension, ought not to forfeit it owing to the proposed transfer of those schools to the local bodies.

R 8882.

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