Report of the Health Officer, Corporation of Madras for 1915-1916 pdf

What is the book all about?

At its core, this pdf Book is about:

📘 A Detailed Financial and Administrative Report

The text outlines the financial state and administrative challenges of the Madras Corporation for the year 1915–16. It is both a record of accounts and a commentary on policy, infrastructure, and public health.

Main Themes and Content:

1. Public Finance and Budgeting:
   • Describes revenue vs. expenditure in both the revenue and capital accounts.
   • Highlights reliance on government grants and the impact of unspent funds.
   • Notes how “normal” income is beginning to fall short of “normal” expenditure, forecasting financial strain.
2. Infrastructure Development:
   • Discusses the water supply and drainage systems, notably the Kilpauk pumping station and its substantial output.
   • Justifies large expenditures on sanitation and drainage, citing public health benefits.
3. Challenges in Municipal Planning:
   • Criticizes earlier drainage works as poorly designed and now needing replacement.
   • Notes the tension between increasing municipal obligations and stagnant revenue sources.
4. Administrative Strategy and Public Perception:
   • Defends decisions like interdepartmental lending of surplus funds.
   • Addresses public criticism, particularly about perceived extravagance or inefficiency.
5. Call for Legislative Reform:
   • Urges for new sources of taxation through legislative action to sustain development.
6. Focus on Public Health:
   • Reiterates that the primary goal of municipal governance should be health, sanitation, and well-being.

Introduction

The interest attaching to an annual administration report is invariably lessened by the interval that must elapse between the close of an official year and its publication. This delay is unavoidable; though enlightening figures of receipts and expenditure may be summarised briefly, the accurate adjustment of inter-departmental accounts on which these figures are based is necessarily a long and tedious process. Still, the delay has its advantages, as five months of actual experience in a new year afford valuable material on which to base criticisms of the past year’s policies.

Of more real interest than a recital of events in 1915–16 is the statement of a general question the Corporation has repeatedly faced during that year, and which will become even more pressing twelve months hence—the question of obtaining sufficient funds to carry on the administration of the city. The apparent superfluity of wealth shown by the following figures is, I fear, quite illusory:

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Revenue and Capital Summary (1915–16)

Category	Revised Estimate	Actuals
Revenue
Receipts	₹39,05,900	₹33,13,830
Expenditure	₹31,23,088	₹39,08,512
Closing Balance	₹5,92,070	₹7,85,424
Capital
Expenditure	₹15,56,850	₹15,50,107
Closing Balance	₹11,390	₹1,42,476

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Firstly, we must record our gratitude to the Government for an unexpected windfall of ₹4,00,000 in the last days of the year. Secondly, a certain amount of unintentional “window dressing” in our accounts is inevitable—bills unpaid on the evening of March 31st artificially inflate our closing balance.

A committee, which in October 1915 drew up revised estimates, anticipated a closing balance of ₹1,31,850 on the revenue account and ₹61,390 under capital. This forecast has proved substantially correct, accounting for the Government’s donation and bills presented after March 31st.

One proposal from the Committee merits special mention. Though criticised, it was, in my opinion, both natural and advisable under prevailing circumstances. At the time, a considerable sum was needed for capital expenditure. Rather than ask the Government for a grant or float a loan, the Committee used ₹5,00,000 of unused revenue funds—lending ₹4,00,000 to the drainage and water-supply capital account, and ₹1,00,000 to electric lighting. A loan was then scheduled to be floated at the start of 1916–17. This policy seemed prudent: using spare money instead of incurring interest on borrowed capital. Unfortunately, by the end of 1915–16, the money market was closed to local borrowing. The Government again stepped in, donating ₹4,00,000 for water and drainage works, and recommending a reduction of electric lighting capital expenditure from ₹1,00,000 to ₹50,000.

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Present Financial Concerns

I now return to the central theme: our current poverty and impending financial hardship. This is not speculative—the city’s normal expenditure is beginning to exceed its normal income. A review of “normal” figures across several years (excluding new works) reveals a troubling trend:

• In 1906–07, the normal income was ₹18,75,396; normal expenditure was ₹17,36,598.
• Up to 1914–15, income increased more rapidly than expenditure.
• In 1915–16, normal expenditure rose to ₹28,59,730, while normal income reached only ₹28,01,720.
• A deficit of ₹1,10,000 is anticipated for 1916–17.

Though balances may temporarily cover this gap and enable essential new works, these reserves will soon be exhausted—leaving us financially constrained.

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File Copyright Claim

You can also read about the historical government publication issued by various U.S. agricultural and regulatory agencies—primarily the Bureau of Animal Industry and the Agricultural Research Service’s Livestock Regulatory Programs. Here’s a breakdown of its purpose and content: