113
Mr. Hiranand Khemsing, President of the Municipality, being subsequently appointed
an additional member.
Employment of British soldiers.
Financial difficulties of the Municipality :
Grant of a loan by Government.
Constitution of a Board of Control over
expenditure.
25. On the 17th April, I assumed charge of
the district from Mr. Gloster, who remained under
my orders as Special Plague Assistant and Secretary
to the Plague Committee.
At a meeting held on the 12th April, it was decided that British troops should be employed
in connection with the cleaning operations and for duty at the health and detention camps.
Accordingly 20 privates and non-commissioned officers of the garrison were detailed for
plague duty in the manner proposed.
On the 18th April the financial question came to the fore, the Municipal funds being
almost exhausted by the heavy drain on them during the recent extended operations.
The balance at the disposal of the Municipality had been reduced to Us. 10,000, whereas
a sum sufficient to allow of operations being continued yet another three months was con-
sidered requisite. The actual balance was insufficient for this object, as shown by the fact
that no less a sum than Es. 21,000 was expended during the first half of April. The
Commissioner in Sind was requested to apply to Government for a grant of one and a half
lakhs, to enable the Committee to continue operations. Subsequently, in the course of the
month of May a sum of Rs. 25,000 was put at the disposal of the Committee and placed to the
credit of the Municipality, the expenditure being conducted as heretofore by Municipal
agency under the supervision of a specially constituted Board of Control.
General evacuation of the city :
Its results.
Gradual subsidence of the epi-
demic.
26. By the middle of April the pestilence was at its extreme height. The exodus of
the population, which towards the close or March had received
a slight check, had set in more strongly than ever, and the city
was almost entirely depopulated, extensive quarters being left
devoid of a single inhabitant. Indivision No. 5, for instance,
it was seen that cases persistently continued to occur in the
small and scattered colonies of people who still remained, and it was thought advisable to
take measures to put a stop to this state of things. Accordingly, two raids with the aid of
the military were made, and the whole quarter was practically swept clean of its few
remaining inhabitants. These measures practically checked the plague in this division.
Naturally under such a state of things all trade was at a stand-still, the prices of provisions
rose alarmingly, and considerable distress made itself felt among those- who were unable to join
in the general exodus. Nevertheless, the condition of affairs was not wholly unsatisfactory, for
with a population so reduced and the unremitting application of wholesale preventive measures,
the disease quickly entered upon its phase of subsidence. The 21st April saw the returns for
the week reduced to 88 cases, and from that point onwards a steady decrease week by week
was observable, the figures for the successive weeks being, respectively, 53, 35, 25, 10, 4, 2,
and 0. The period covered by these figures extends from the 22nd April to the 9th June.
Inspection of villages round
about Hyderabad.
Arrangements for stabling cattle.
Condemnation of insauitary
houses.
Supervision of private encamp-
ments.
Regulation of the boat traffic,
&c.
27. Reverting once more to the plague operations, it was ascertained that occasional cases
were occurring in the villages round about Hyderabad. Mr.
Pringle, who had been relieved of his duties in connection with the
grain godowns, was now. entrusted with the duty of inspecting
these villages, inducing the inhabitants to clean their houses and
arranging for the construction of huts for the isolation of the
sick. Mr. Priugle discharged these duties until May, when he
was ordered to Sukkur, and handed over charge to Surgeon-
Captain Jones. Steps were also taken for subjecting· the boat
traffic on the Fuleli to close supervision. Boats were not permitted to depart until those on
board had undergone medical examination, and passes were issued, which the headmen in charge
had to produce to enable the boats to proceed beyond the bridge openings at Seri and Tando
Muhammad Khan. Medical students were also placed on hoard the steam-launches with a view
to the detection of any sick persons who might endeavour to travel by them. Attention had
been drawn to the insanitary practice of herding cattle in dwelling houses. To put an end to it,
arrangements were made on the 27th April for the stabling of such cattle in the municipal
goat-yard.
These officers were transferred
from the Punjab for plague duty.
The question of the demolition of insanitary houses was also taken up, and Divisional
Officers were called upon to make a note of any such houses existing in their charges in order
that their fate might be decided by the Committee. Attention was then directed to the exten-
sive private encampments which had been formed and tenanted by refugees from Hyderabad in
the gardens along the banks of the Fuleli Cana'. Surgeon-Lieutenant Milner whose services
together with those of Surgeon-Lieutenant Evans had been placed
at the disposal of the Committee, was placed in charge of these
encampments, with instructions to closely supervise their sanitäry
arrangements. Meanwhile, Surgeon-Lieutenant Evans had been placed in charge of the plague
operations and the health camp at Gidu, thus relieving Surgeon-Captain Jones of the portion
of his multifarious duties, and enabling him to devote attention to the condition of the villages
round about the city.
B 1135—29+