Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-10-01
RED TAPE EXPERT
An East Indian Clerk Who
Stumped an English Official.
BEAT HIM AT HIS OWN GAME.


Tara chand Made His Prstentious
Auditor General Appear Like a Rank
Aniateur--A True Story.
The government Offices In Whitehall
are supposed to use red tape" pretty
freely. but. the supply In London Is
nothing to what it is In India. Let
us outline briefly the true history Of
Babu Tara Chand. late OF the subordl.
nate branch OF the Indian civil serv,
ice The story is true.
Babu Tara Chand was deputy sub
assistant clerk In the cutcherry OF
deputy collector I'm the Swankibagh
district of southern Bengal. The In.
land postage rate I'm India at that
period was three pies. or about |
farthing. for letters weighing one tolls.
One fine day when the officials had
concluded the annual or biennial over,
haul OF the books OF the cutcherry It
was discovered that by some IN.
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 desk
and control of Babu Tara Chand.
Thence II had disappeared.
Babu Tara Chand was not summa.
rily dismissed; neither was he made
the target of criminal prosecution. In.
stead he received a 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 a bolt from
the blue. 1t left but three courses
open to him-viz:
(a) Resign from the service.
Cb) Explain the disappearance OF the /
farthing postage stamp In a manner h
deemed satisfactory by the auditor
(c) Recoup the farthing.
OF these three courses It will be
obvious to any person with the shall
lowest knowledge Of the Bengali char.
acter that the third one Cc) was from
the outset beyond the pale OF con
sideration. The first (a) was also too X
terrible to contemplate. Therefos
Babu Tara Chand sat down and com
posed a letter which was a masterpiece
in its way and In which he requested /
to be relieved from routine service for
a period of four weeks to enable him
TO make such a search among the rec
ords of the department. ETC.. as nigh,
AL fr,f ron hA mite GTa
This reasonable request was readily i
granted.
Four weeks later Babu Tara Chand D
applied for a further term OF two
weeks wherein to draw up a report \
upon the results of his investigations
In pursuit OF the Grant postage stamp y
This, having passed through the eight
cen or nineteen different hands neces-
sary for such an application, was In 4
turn duly granted. and at the end Of
the fortnight Tara Chand submitted
report of 216 foolscap pages. explain
Ing that, despite the most diligent ef
forts and inquiries on his part, he had
been unable to secure the slightest
clew to the cause of the deficiency
When the department Of audits and
accounts had fully digested this doca
ment and presented report of tbs
same in official precis to the auditor
general the auditor general through
the secretary of the assistant audtd
general Of the presidency Of Bengal
notified Babu Tara Chand that II was
not wholly satisfactory and that the
circumstances bearing upon the loss q
the stamp would have to be defnitel
explained and proved or the deficit q
three pies would have to be made good
Babu Tara Chand stuck to his guns
and wrote again. He wrote MANI
times As often as he wrote his eE
plantations the auditor general wrOts
signifying his official dissatisfactOa
with the same.
Eventually. one fine day about nine
months subsequent to the discovery q
the loss and some two years subse
quent to its alleged pespetration. thI
auditor general-hfs interest in ON
matter OF a farthing postage stamp be
ing overwhelmed In a frontier va
budget-sent an ultimatum to Tar1A
would have to be definitely expaine
or its value. the sum of three pies,
duly refunded to the treasurer of thi
Swankigabb district
Then Babu Tara Chand became pcsiM
sessed of an inspiration which eve
to this day is pointed to with pro
and competency by even the most q
cumlocutory of the red tape depan
ments within the purview Of the gov
eminent of India
Babu Tara Chand wrote to the aud
tor general as follows:
Sir-In reply to your memo. OF 7th ms
1 have the honor to state terrible CONF
grafton of my cook house on 5th ms
hopelessIy annihiiating all documents W
the case of lost postage stamp OF I'm
pies. property OF her most gracious ms
esty the queen empress Therefore
grace of God and under regulation par
$3.50. section cxxxi. of departmental re
ulations. volume 81 CBengaD. request y
forward for my information comp
copies of entire file of correspondents
this case, SO that can report again UP
same to your satisfaction. l have
honor to be. sir. your most obedient M
BILE servant. TARA CHAND,
Deputy Subassistant Clerk to the Dept
Collector. Swankibagh.
The auditor general never repli7
Tara Chand had won his case.-L
don Tit-Bits.