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Officer. This system reduced considerably the possibility of fraud, and was far
more satisfactory to all concerned than the entrusting of money to subordinates to
pay these sorts of charges.
" On the discharge of contacts or evicts from camp the carts to take their kit
tack again to the same or another residence were also paid for, by a similar
arrangement to that described above, and if their residence in a camp or attending
on a relation in a hospital was likely to in any way entail loss of wages to them,
they were paid a small amount for their support during such period. This, however,
was not often done, nor did the people ask for it.
" It is curious how, once these payments of compensation were started, the
people of the poorer classes immediately became aware of the fact, that if removed
to a camp or hospital or if their bedding or clothing were destroyed they would
get a little money, and naturally this knowledge induced them to regard plague
measures with less disfavour. I consider also that this distribution of relief has,
among the poorer classes particularly, to some extent reduced the concealment of
plague and also the removal of plague cases from place to place. No longer fearing
great loss or hardship through our measures they no longer take so much care to
hide plague cases from us.'
The Fund was not of great use among the well-to-do inhabitants
of B Ward South, but elsewhere the District Officers are unanimous in
their appreciation of the advantages which have accrued from this
generous contribution of Government towards the relief of individual
misery in the City. Captain Pritchard writes :—
" This money vras spent in accordance with circular orders issued on the subject.
The objects on which it was spent were distinctly limited to plague and those who
suffered therefrom either directly or indirectly.
" As for instance, relief offered to those sent to Camps, also to such as it was
necessary to relieve owing to loss of wages, also for property destroyed, and gifts to
such as were discharged cured from hospitals and for transit charges incurred in
conveyance of evicts and their baggage to and from camps. Also to assist poor
families, orphans and suoh like to their homes out of Bombay.
" This form of relief gave the best results and the more so according to the tact
and care and moderation with which it was used. Considering the poverty and
distress always found and in addition the heavy losses incurred by families from,
plague, this money was an actual blessing to the poor. But great care and
moderation were essential in order to reap true gratitude from the people. Else
the money was I considered to a certain extent wasted, for though it was better to
err on the side of charity than on that of illiberality, yet there was no question of the
valuable results that might be obtained by a careful distribution of this Fund.
It educated the people, informed them of our open hearted sympathy, linked their
sympathies to ours and drew from them something more than a sullen acquiescence
in the Government measures."
The actual assistance in cases of desperate distress has been
enormous ; and nothing has done more to convince the people generally
that plague measures are intended for their welfare. This change in
their attitude has been cheaply purchased at the expenditure of 50,000
Rupees : and to those who have experienced the advantages of the
Discretional Relief Fund it is difficult to realize how previous epidemics
have been got through, and impossible to contemplate facing another
epidemic, without ita assistance.