14
Municipalities.
9. There has been a slight decrease in the Municipalities' vaccinations, explained
mostly by the interruption to the work in the Muni-
cipalities of Gudduck and Hooblee of the Dharwar
Collectorate. Regarding the Gudduck Municipality, there was considerable trouble
occasioned by the non-payment of the salary due to the Vaccinator. His pay had
been in arrears for some months, and, though I repeatedly wrote to the Collector
respecting it, for a long time I could get no payment made. The alleged complaint was
laziness of the Vaccinator, and at his laziness, if such it can be termed, there can be
little wonder, considering that he was kept in arrears of pay for over four months ;
and, as he truly remarked, he was not sure that he should be paid at all. At length
he resigned the appointment, and some months subsequently I recovered the amount
due, through the Collector. I could not, however, procure a Vaccinator to fill the
vacancy for some time, as the irregular manner in which the former Vaccinator had
been paid being known, others refused to go there. Subsequently it was arranged
that the Vaccinator should receive his pay monthly through the Treasury. I then
procured a Vaccinator, and since then. I have experienced no more trouble, nor
received any complaints. There was a lapse of four months in the work. There
was also some little trouble with the Hooblee Municipality of a similar description
to the above, viz. arrears of pay; and the Vaccinator was obliged to vacate his
post for want of the means of livelihood. Smallness of the work performed was
the complaint alleged; but no complaint of this or any other kind had been
made to me. It seems that the Municipality had arranged to pay the Vaccinator
so much per cent., instead of, as usual, a fixed salary ; the consequence was the Vacci-
nator for the first month, not being able to do much work for want of sufficient lymph,
found himself receiving a scale of pay much less than he expected. He was to get
rupees ten for every one hundred vaccinations. In case, therefore, he only vaccinated,
say, fifty his pay would only be Rs. 5. To these terms, it is scarcely necessary to add, no
Vaccinator would be willing to consent. After much correspondence, it has lately been
arranged to pay the Vaccinator a fixed salary of Rs. 10 a month, and at the rate of
Rs. 10 for every one hundred vaccinations exceeding one hundred. This is about the
best arrangement that could be made under the circumstances; but Rs. 10, as I have
represented, is insufficient, as a fixed salary, to procure the services of a good man. The
percentage though is, in my opinion, a desirable mode of payment. During the year
three more Municipalities have entertained Vaccinators; viz., the Municipality of Uthnee,
Khatow, and Sircy ; the latter has been entertained for about two months only, and
has done little work yet. On my visit to Sircy in February last, I found this Vacci-
nator a person wholly unfit for the post, and recommended his dismissal, which has
since been acceded to. He was quite incapacitated, by old age and imperfect vision,
from performing the duties of a Vaccinator.
Lymph.
10. The lymph in use throughout the year has for the most part been good,
the exceptions met with are stated under paragraph 12.
New lymph was introduced in January 1870, from