OCCASIONAL NOTE

A small pamphlet has been published entitled “The Farce of Local Self-Government in Sind.” A hasty perusal suggests that something has gone seriously wrong in the town of Larkana. We read of protest meetings, memorials, articles and letters flooding the local press, interpellations intended for the Bombay Legislative Council of such excessive length that they had to be ruled out altogether – in fact all the usual machinery of a vigorous agitation – from which one gathers that a high-handed bureaucracy has endeavoured to force a house-tax upon Larkana, not for any good reason, but merely for the satisfaction of tyrannical instincts. When we look for details of the case, it appears that the root of the trouble is very simple. Larkana needs more revenue to meet modern developments, especially in education and sanitation.

At present its main source of income is from octroi taxation, which, being levied on grain and other necessaries of life, presses heavily on the poor and lightly on the rich. It is rightly described as the worst and most inequitable form of taxation that can be devised to meet the expenditure of public bodies in towns. Therefore the Collector proposed to find the needed revenue by means of a house-tax – an impost in vogue only in 5 out of 26 municipalities in Sind, but in 126 out of 132 in the Bombay Presidency proper. The proposal appears to have been carried through. Will it be believed that all the skimble-skamble stuff with which the forty-three pages of this pamphlet are filled consists of attempts, or the records of attempts, to raise an outcry against this sensible measure? What would happen under the conditions of the Reform Scheme is obvious.

TROUBLE OVER A LADY S PHOTOGRAPH

Before Mr. A.H.S. Aston, at the Esplanade Police Court, Inspector Sykes charged Mr. Richard Wheeler, an American dancer, with the theft of a photograph belonging to Captain Webb-Johnson, and with assaulting the latter. It was stated that Captain Webb-Johnson was severely hurt and was in hospital at present. An altercation took place over a lady. Neither side wished to drag her into court. The complainant and accused had known each other in Calcutta and they meet in the vestibule of the hotel in which Captain Webb-Johnson was staying and they both went to the room of the complainant upstairs, where a row and scuffle took place. The officer was knocked down, his military badges were torn off and he was struck severely on the eye and nose. The accused then took a photograph out of a frame and walked away with it. The further hearing was adjourned till the 29th instant.

RETIRING BOMBAY JUDGE

Last evening at the University Convocation Hall the president and members of the Managing Committee of the Law Students’ Union gave a farewell entertainment in honour of Sir Frank Beaman on the eve of his retirement from his judgeship of the Bombay High Court. There was a large and distinguished gathering of members of the Bar, including barristers, pleaders and solicitors of all communities, and the Bench was represented by the Chief Justice, Mr. Just ice McLeod and Mr. Justice Marten. Sir Frank, in replying to the address of Mr. D.F. Mulla, President of the Union, said he was well content that he had the appreciation of all of them, and he was extremely grateful for this splendid entertainment which was a very memorable one and which he would not forget till he ceased to remember anything.

MADRAS MERCHANTS GRIEVANCES

A meeting of the rice, sugar and grain merchants held on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing regret that , in spite of their persistent appeals, the Port Trust authorities and the Government of Madras have not abolished the heavy storage charges levied by the Port Trust authorities, and stating that, until the number of free days and rates of storage charges formerly in vogue are restored, they cannot be induced to import goods by sea as heretofore, and urging upon the Government of India the necessity of prompt action being taken. The chai rman was authorised to communicate the resolution by wire to the Viceroy and the Conference of Directors of Civil Supplies, Delhi.