Punjab during 1923-24

THE Punjab Administration Report for 1923-24 contains many interesting facts and observations regarding the work of the departments of the government. The chapter on political conditions deals with the character of the Legislative Council, the formation of parties and the opposition of the rural and urban classes and the accentuation of communal feeling in the province. It is pointed out that the distinction between reserved and transferred subjects shows a tendency to disappear in Punjab, the two halves of the government having come to an agreement amongst themselves on most matters concerning their respective spheres of work. The ambitions of the ministers were, we learn, limited by the financial difficulties of the province, but on the whole the expenditure on transferred subjects increased by over 17 per cent and to that extent their condition is stated to have improved. Another remark made in this connection is as regards the tendency to deterioration which is visible in the district administration owing to the loss of “a large number of efficient officers by retirement on proportionate pension”. It will take some years, we are told, before the junior officers now in charge can effectively take their place. It would be interesting to know what the signs of “deterioration” observed are. The economic conditions of the year were better and there was a decrease in petty crimes, though there was no diminution in the volume of serious crime. The Akali activities are said to have added to serious crime to some extent. The police expenditure increased from Rs 59 lakh in 1913-14 to Rs 114 lakh in 1923-24, but this doubling has apparently produced no diminution in crime.