6
place has been in force since October 1902. There is evidence in the reports
to show that the people are occasionally disposed to keep suspected strangers out
of their villages, though they have not as yet been able to act with sufficient
determination or combination to do so successfully.
14. Plague inspection and disinfection posts were maintained on the
approaches to the town of Simla throughout the year. They were at first situated
at Kálka and Tawi, between Simla and Jutogh, and at Mashobra. The post at
Mashobra was found to be unnecessary ; it was closed in August 1903,
and has not been re-opened. In April 1902, after plague had broken out in Kálka
itself, the post there was removed to Tára Devi near Simla. During March,
April and May 1903 inspections at Kálka were resumed for the examination
of the Government of India establishments on their move from Calcutta to
Simla. In 1903 the Tawi post was transferred to a more convenient site at
Tattu, close to its original situation. All travellers passing through the posts
were liable to inspection, and if suspicious were detained under observation
or allowed to proceed after disinfection. Lists of persons to be kept under
surveillance were forwarded regularly from the posts to Simla, and the persons
concerned were kept under observation by a special agency which was mainly
voluntary. The plague rules sanctioned for Simla and other Hill Stations provide
for the application of stringent and compulsory measures of segregation
evacuation and disinfection in case plague should occur. The report for
1901-02 does not state the number of persons examined at the Simla posts
during the year, but it must have been very considerable, as while inspec-
tion was carried out at Kálka over 300 or 400 persons were disinfected
daily. During 1901-02 the only cases of plague detected at the posts were
2 or 3 detected at Kálka. One case passed the Tawi post without being
detected there, but the necessary precautions were taken without delay on its
discovery in Simla, and the infection did not spread. In 1902-03 the number
of persons inspected at the posts was 203,029. Of these 64,707 were disinfected
and 19 were detained, but only 1 plague case was detected. Three cases,
however, passed into Simla without detection, but the infection introduced
by them was promptly stamped out.
15. Inspection posts for the protection of Dalhousie and Murree were
opened in April 1902 at Dunera and on the Ráwalpindi-Murree Road, and
after being closed during the cold weather were re-opened in April 1903. One
case of plague occurred in Murree just before the Murree post was es-
tablished, but subsequently no case was discovered either at Murree; or at
the post. Dalhousie escaped without any plague occurrence, and during the
two years of its working only one case was detected at the Dunera post in 1903,
The numbers of persons inspected during 1903 were 21,943 at Dunera and
28,289 at the Murree post: 2,884 persons were disinfected and 6 detained
at the former post ; and the numbers of persons disinfected and detained at
the latter were 508 and 47 respectively.
16. Special arrangements for the inspection of travellers by railway were
made in connexion with the Delhi Darbár. Over 15,000 passengers were in-
spected, and 6 plague cases were detected at four Railway Stations in the Punjab,
and there were also inspections at Gháziabad. The management of plague
measures at the Darbár was under the control of the Government of India, but a
special staff was sent to Delhi by the Punjab Government to deal with any outbreak
that might occur outside the Darbár area. It is a matter for congratulation that
there was no outbreak of plague among the multitudes which collected for the
Darbár.
17. It may be noted that in addition to the inspection posts maintained
by the Punjab Government inspection posts were maintained by Native State
authorities for the protection of the towns of Kapurthala, Máler Kotla and
Faridkot. From neither of these towns was plague kept out, and experi-
ence has shown that, except for the protection of places to which the ap-
proaches can be effectually guarded, such as the Hill Stations, plague inspec-
tion posts are useless. They will not again be established in the plains, but the
Simla, Dalhousie, and Murree posts will be continued and railway inspections
will be instituted on the Kálka-Simla Railway.