Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎470v] (65/238)

278 The Progress of the Municipal Idea in India.
Patna is the only one really favourably reported on, whilst
the three important towns of Hooghly, Bardwan, and
Howrah are unfavourably noticed. This, the Lieutenant-
Governor remarks, is to be regretted, as they contain
people of education, from whom more might have been
expected. Garden-Reach, close to Calcutta itself, failed to
hold twelve meetings for two consecutive years. The
average attendance is stated by the Lieutenant-Governor
to have been satisfactory, but his view that it was sufficient
for practical administrative purposes appears somewhat
optimistic.
In the North-West Provinces and Oudh the number of
municipalities was 1,104. Although on the whole a spirit
of progress and a better appreciation of their duty and
responsibility were evinced by the Commissioners, the
administration was stated to be of unequal merit, the
efficiency being lowest in small municipalities from want of
experience and guidance, and in a few where selfish class
interests or intrigue among the members of the Boards
affected the administration ; of the latter Budaon is given as
the worst example. Greater interest appears to have been
shown in elections to seats. Fyzabdd alone has a non
official chairman, and in all other Boards but six the Boards
elect their own, the choice in eighty-two having fallen on
the District Magistrate himself. In the municipality of
Banda the discreditable average attendance of only one-
third of the members of the Board is noticed, and Unao
is reported to have held less than twelve meetings, and to
be otherwise defective in its administration. In the
Central Provinces the number of municipalities was fifty-
two, of which only eighteen were in towns of more than
10,000 inhabitants. One, Hutta, was withdrawn in the
course of the year, and the Chief Commissioner remarks
that it would probably be better if others were so as well.
Generally favourable results are reported in the Jubbulpore
and Chhatisgarh divisions, and a deficient number of meet
ings in Narsinghpur, Betul, and Multai. In Nagpur the