Report of a committee on a plan for cleansing the drains of Black Town.

Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of a committee on a plan for cleansing the drains of Black Town. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    87/105 (page 79)
    generation to pay the Capital for such works appears to mo clearly unjust, as well as impolitic. Let all who receivo benefit pay their share of the cost, in the shape of Interest as is invariably clone in England in such cases. No possible object can be gained in delaying such improvements as the health and comfort of 700,000 persons demand, when they can afford to pay the Interest money twice ovor; nothing whatever is gained by waiting till either the Go- vernment or the people can afford to pay down the Capital. If such a system had been followed in England there would not have been to this day, a single city properly lighted, cleansed or watered. 9. If the annual sum laid out on improvements from the Assessment fund w ere paid as Interest, there would be at once a sum disposable which would do in a year or two what this vast community may otherwise want for twenty or fifty years upon the present system. It is one of the most extraordinary facts connected with India that this most obvious principle so perfectly under- stood, acknowledged and acted upon by every man in England, should as it were have been swept from the minds of our countrymen as soon as they had any thing to do with India. In this as in every other case the plea has been that there is no money to execute works which would produce ten times the Interest of the sums required. The degree in which the welfare of India has been hindered by this strange mistake is far beyond all calculation. In the present case nothing can be simpler or more obvious than the course that might be pursued. If money be the difficulty, it is only to pass an act permit- ting the municipal authorities of Madras or the Government to raise money by loan, undertaking to pay the Interest: and I suppose without one additional Rupee of Capital being paid by either the inhabitants or the Government, there would be abundant funds not only for the present works, but also to wipe off that standing disgrace to the Port, that there is neither shelter for shipping, nor safe and convenient means of landing passengers and cargo. Let the Go- vernment engage to pay 25,000 Rupees a year and the Justices a like sum from the Assessment fund, (I suppose much less than they both actually now spend in improvements and various current expenditures that would be relieved by works such as are now proposed) and there would be available about 10 Lacks of Rupees, sufficient to do at least half, if not all that Madras at present requires ; and these works would, if thought advisable yield such a return in money as would provide for further improvements far beyond what there is any probability of the place requiring. The cleansing, lighting, communications, and Port improvements might all be carried out without the slightest difficulty as respects money. 10. The question therefore as respects the improvement of Madras rather than an inland district, is not properly—why lay out so much money on Ma- dras, while Cuddapah is without roads ? but rather what possible reason can