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There was little disease amongst the soldiers, and that of mild type ; also very few
cases of secondary syphilis occurred. At the musketry camp far less disease, than
usual, was contracted in 1883, because of more stringent regime ńtal supervision there—a
supervision helped by the better conduct of the men, now more used to India, and
warned by the very bad cases contracted at the musketry camp in 1882. The
results for the year have been most satisfactory.
42. The Cantonment Committee consider the report highly satisfactory, the results
recorded for 1883 being the best ever attained to in Benares. Although the grant of
rent-free quarters to the registered women has not been a success, there will be no
monetary loss, as the building will realize a good rent for shops, if its use for the
registered women should be discontinued.
43. The Cantonment Magistrate desires to note, that the fact of failure in regard
to advantages expected from the grant of rent-free quarters to the women, invites in-
vestigation. A large building, with entrance gateways to a courtyard enclosing 8 large
double rooms, was erected, and 16 inmates for them were reckoned on. But only 4 or 5
could be obtained, and the better class of prostitutes will have nothing to do with the
place. Careful enquiry engenders the conclusion that its want of privacy deters the
women from inhabiting the place. Prostitutes delight in living in dark little dens
with their hangers-on, male and female, and to build expensive chaklas is a waste of
money. If quarters such as prostitutes like could be given them rent-free, they would
appreciate the gift, and the Cantonment Magistrate recommends the purchase of cheap
houses in the bazar, as occasion offers, for the purpose indicated. The expense would
be about one-third of the amount required for the building of chaklas.
The only condition attaching to the gift should be that, excepting a paramour,
who might be made useful in keeping other native men away, no native man's visits
should be permitted. The police already give great assistance in preventing the visits
of native men to the registered women, although they fail to prevent unlicensed pros-
titution on the part of the soldiers. The fact that little disease afflicted the registered
women during 1883, was due to stringent measures enforced to prevent access of native
men to them. These measures were duly notified in every bazar on several occasions,
and in every prostitute's house. And of 31 offenders against these orders during the
year, all were fined or imprisoned.
It is worthy of notice that the disease of the year decreased to one-half its preva-
lence in 1882, both amongst the soldiers and amongst the registered women. The
Cantonment Magistrate admits that the soldier's disease in often contracted from unre-
gistered women, but he thinks it may be more often contracted from the registered
women. For a registered woman, examined only once a week, may infect a dozen
men before her disease is discovered, and he recommends the employment of a visiting
dhai to every 8 registered women, and one superintending dhai to every three visiting
dhais. The visiting dhai to examine all her registered women daily and report to
the superintending dhai, who should report to the Cantonment Magistrate daily.
And the dhai should prevent the visits of native men to their women.
Dhais should be of three grades, paid at the rate of Rs. 20, Rs. 15, and Rs. 10
per mensem, and they could be trained to office at the civil hospitals. Further, he
would recommend that the costly lock hospital and its establishment should be aban-
doned, and the treatment of diseased registered women effected by the Civil Sur-
geon, at the civil hospital. By the dhai and civil hospital plan, the present expendi-
ture, Rs. 1,755, might be reduced to Rs. 720—and the Cantonment Magistrate will
be glad to enter into details, as regards his plan of management, if called upon
to do so.
44. The Magistrate of the district reports a remarkable improvement in results
for the past year. A noteworthy fact is, that the proportion of registered women and
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