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" Hindu' Chakla.—This is the old-fashioned, hard working houae-to-house-
" searching- by -members Committee. Each-member twice a week. They slacked
" off certainly about April. I am inducing them gradually to teach the people to
" come to them to report sickness. It is, however, necessary to mention that the
" Khatri caste worked on the same lines as the Banias and Bhattias.
" Mahometan Chakla.—These Mahomedans are divided into eight Mohallas'
" each being a separate community living together in one part of a street under its own
" jaraayet, whose headman is a member of the Committee. Amongst, them, however,
" are scattered Borahs and Mentions. Haji Cassum Joosufand Mr. Kurwa represent
"these. Honse-to-house visitation by members or jamayet servants is out of the
" question. The members, however, Lave very honestly reported all deaths in their
" Mohallas. This has enabled me to get at plague cases. Speaking generally, none
" of the members working in Maudvi believe that any measures are of any use.
" They are, however, all agreed on one point, viz., that when rats are dying in a
" house it is dangerous to live there. Their assistance, therefore, isnot very cordial.
"Knowing their ideas on the subject I hare made it my constant endeavour to make
" their work as little disagreeable as possible for them. In many instances they
"have doubtless presumed on my leniency and have knowinyly not reported cases
"of plague, feeling assured that I shall believe (when death ensues) their tale when
" they say that they have known the case a long time, knew that it was " heart
" disease, " but did not think the case serious enough to report. Members also don't
" care to help to persuade people to take their sick to hospital. In fact they have
"often done their utmost to get me to isolate the case at home. The Mahomedan,
" members conceal out of sheer ignorance. They won't acknowledge any kind of
" plague besides bubonic, and only that when the type is very pronounced. Although
" the members of the Bhattia and Bania Committees and others of the same class are
"not of very much use in actively working, they have been of great assistance to me
" in various other ways, such as arranging for camps, hospitals, and especially in
" allaying the fears of the people."
In D Ward there were 160 Volunteers on the lists, but the value of
their assistance was hardly proportionate to their numbers, and they were
never successful in bringing to notice any large proportion of the plague
cases that occurred. There were, however, a few who rendered valuable
services. In E Ward (West) out of a total of 47 about 30 were most
useful, and devoted as much time and attention to plague work as the
best Volunteers in any district. In addition to finding and reporting
plague cases, to persuading people to send their sick friends to hospital,
and themselves evacuate infected rooms and houses, they gave valuable
assistance by attending when houses had to be disinfected in the
absence of owners, and thus satisfying people that no unnecessary damage
would be done, and that the disinfecting gangs would be properly looked
after. Finally they exercised a very complete supervision over all
illness in their charges, maintaining a record of every sickness, and
thereby very greatly strengthening the hands of the District Officer in
his efforts to find and deal effectively with plague. In Byculla there
were only 10 Volunteers, and some of these did little ; but the few who
really worked were of very great assistance in reporting plague and
other sickness ; while Mr. J. MacDonald carried his work further,
and in many cases himself supervised the execution of the measures that
had to be adopted. In the Wari Bunder District of E Ward there were