The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-28
RED TAPE EXPER!
An East indian Clerk Vic
Slumped an English Official.
BEAT HIM At HIS OWN GAME

In the Fine Art Of circumioeutior eab.s
Tara chand Made His Prsssnsious
Auditor General Appear Like Rank
Amatsur-A True Story.
The government Offices In whitehall,
are supposed 10 Use red tape pretty
freely. but the supply in London il
nothing TO what /: IL In India. Lei
us outline briefly the true history OF
Babu Tara Chand. late Of the ~uhordi.
nate branch OF the Indian civil serv-
ice. The story is true.
Babu Tara Chand was a deputy sub
assistant clerk In the cutcherry of
deputy collector in the Swnnkibagh
district of southern Bengal The In
land postage rate In India at that
period was three pies. or about ]
farthing. for letters weighing one tola
One fine day when the officials had
concluded the annual or biennial over,
haul of the books of the cutcherry ii
was discovered that by some un-
heard Of turpitude one stamp Of the
value of three pies Il farthing, had
been unaccounted for. The stamp
could be clearly traced to the des',
and control of Babu Tara Chand.
Thence 1t had disappeared.
Babu Tara Chand was not summa.
rily dismissed: neither was he made
the target OF q criminal prosecution. In.
stead he received n lengthy letter ON
blue foolscap paper. pointing out In
detail how certain property OF her
most gracious majesty the queen en-
press-to wit. one Indian postage stamp
Of the value Of three pies-had been
committed to his care on a certain
date and that up to the date OF writ
Ing no adequate explanation had been
forthcoming Of said postage stamp.
The communication fell upon the
luckless Tara Chand like bolt from
the blue. 1t left but three courses
open to him-viz:
(aD Resign from the service.
%, Explain the disappearance Of tho
farthing postage stump In manner
deemed satisfactory by the auditor
&c, Recoup the farthing
OF these three courses 1t will be
obvious to any person with the shall
lowest knowledge OF the Bengali char.
acter that the third one (c) was from
the outset beyond the pale OF con
sideration. The first ta,.was also too
terrible to contemplate. Therefore
Babu Tara Chand sat down and com
posed letter which was masterpiece
in its way and In which be requested
to be relieved from routine service for
q period OF four weeks to enable hin,
to make such search among the rec.
ords Of the depart ment. ETC.. a. might
enable him to trace the missing stamp.
This reasonable request was readily
granted.
Four weeks later Babu Tara Chand
applied for further term OF two
weeks wherein to draw up report
upon the results OF his Investigations
in pursuit OF the errant postage stump
This. having passed through the eight.
cen or nineteen different hands neces-
sary for such an application. was III
turn duly granted. and at the end OF
the fortnight Tara chand submitted 4
report OF 216 foolscap pages. explain
ing that. despite the most diligeDt ef.
forts and Inquiries OH his part. be had
been unable to secure tue slightest
clew to the cause Ut the deficiency.
When the department Of audits and
accounts had fully dIyested this docu.
ment and presented report OF the
same In Official precis to the auditor
general the auditor general through
the secretary OF the assistant auditor
general of the presidency OF Bengal
notified Babu Tara Chand that II was
not wholly satisfactory and TINT the
circumstances bearing upon the loss Of
the stamp would have to be definitely
explained and proved or the deficit OF
three pies would have to be made good
Babu Tara Chaud stuck to his guns
and wrote again. He wrote many
times. AS often az be wrote his ex.
plantations the auditor general wrote
signifying his official dissatisfaction
with the same.
Eventually. one nne day about nine
months subsequent to the discovery Of
the loss and sonle two years subse-
quent to Its alleged preparation. the
auditor general-his interest In the
matter OF farthing postage stamp BE-
ing overwhelmed In a frontier wal
brdCet-sc.t r. ultmatum to Tars