File 3939/1926 Pt 1 'PUBLICATIONS: REVISION OF AITCHISON'S TREATIES' [‎102r] (197/206)

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THE STANDING FINANCE COMMITTEE, VOL. V7-XNO. 3. 1^2
[Foreign and Political Department.]
The District Board were doing what they could to increase their income.
In addition to the increase in the District Board cess by 50 per cent, the
Board had imposed a toll tax on the Srinagar road. The additional
revenue expected from these sources would to a certain extent help in
keeping the more important roads in a somewhat better condition than
had ^hitherto been possible. Of these roads, the Ajmer-Srinagar road,
'vc^pB^had to carry a very heavy traffic on account of the stone quarries
sitm.-ed within its reach, was urgently in need of thorough repairs. A
sum of Rs. 7,300 on an average used to be spent annually on this road
some years back, but owing to the necessity for economy, this grant was
reduced to Rs. 2,000 per annum. The result had been that on account
of the very heavy traffic which passed on it, the road had now fallen into
a state of total disrepair even for cart traffic. The Executive Engineer,
Public Works Department, in whose charge the District Board roads
had been placed for purposes of maintenance stated that it was not possible
to maintain the Ajmer-Srinagar road for less than Rs. 8,000 annually and
that a special grant of Rs.^tS.OOO was required immediately to put the
whole road into proper state of repair. The District Board had provided
a sum of Rs. 8,000 this year for the upkeep of the road but were not m
a position to find the sum of Rs. 13,000 required for initial expenditure
on special repairs, despite the increased revenue which would be realized
owing to the enhancement of the District Board cess and the imposition
of toll tax on, the road. It had accordingly been represented that a non
recurring grant of Rs. 13,000 should be made to the District Board. In
the circumstances, the approval of the Standing Finance Committee wag
sought to the grant-in-aid being sanctioned during the current year.
The Expenditure involved would be met by re-appropriation from withm
the grant under the head “ 41-Civil Works-Central”. The Committee
agreed.
20. Revision of Aitchison’s Treaties Engagements and Sanads—It
was stated that the Foreign and Political Department was responsible for
the publication of this work, which contained a history of the relations
of the Government of India with Indian States and adjacent foreign
countries, in addition to the text of the various treaties, piedges etc
-which regulated those relations. The work was first published m 186^.
It was revised in 1876 and 1892 and the last revision (13 volumes) took
place between 1905 and 1909. The present edition had been m use tor
17 years and had to a large extent become obsolete owing to the superses
sion of old Treaties by new ones, while a mass of material had been ac
cumulated which must be incorporated in order that the work should be
brought up to date. In addition, the stock of copies of the present edition
was nearlv exhausted, and, in fact, the publishers had already reported
their inability to comply with demands owing to certain volumes being
completely out of print. The only course open was to prepare an en
tirely new edition, thoroughly revised up to date, which involved not onh
the insertion of new treaties and engagements and re-mdexing, but also
rewriting and supplementing much of the narrative and historical por
tion. It was felt very strongly in the Foreign and Political Department
that the early revision of this work was not only essential from the point
of view of the conduct of public business but was a duty which was
owed to the public. There was a growing and healthy interest on the
part of the press and of the Legislature in India’s treaty obligations ;
since 1909 there had been momentous changes m India s relations with