Page:Hyderabad in 1890 and 1891; comprising all the letters on Hyderabad affairs written to the Madras Hindu by its Hyderabad correspondent during 1890 and 1891 (IA hyderabadin1890100bangrich).pdf/109

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Page 101

and the Raja to be at large while others concerned in the case with them were under-trial prisoners? And is it economy, I wish to know, that recalls a Judge who is of no use, retains a Private Secretary who does no work, a Director of Public Instruction who has little time to attend to his duties, that creates Assistant Secretaryships, Inspectorships and Commis- sions for the benefit of favourites as well as to keep some officials at arms' length, that allows a large portion of budget allotments for the Public Works Department to be spent year after year on repairs, that maintains schools without boys, and teachers with- out pupils, that rouses itself by fits and starts to prosecute Abdul Huk, and spends thousands over some lucky men to perfect the case against him, that pays journalists to laud the officials up and spies to gather information about political adversaries? Such questions can be multiplied ad infinitum and I would advise all who would sing the praises of the Moglai officials to make a list of all the questions that can be put to the Government under the head of justice, economy, impartiality and peruse it whenever they feel inclined to rush into print to abuse honest men and ascribe motives to impartial writers. A letter on Hyderabad affairs in another Calcutta paper has attracted a great deal of attention here. There are a few inaccuracies here and there in this letter. But these excepted, it portrays popular feeling and opiniou on many important matters. It leads one to the conclusion that most of the departments in the State are most frightfully mismanaged, and that this is a fact few can deny. I met one of the highest officials of the State-one of the pillars of the present Gevernment-at a railway station recently. Sliding into a talk about Hyderabad affairs, the official asked me what the public thought of the character of the work done by a certain department of the State. I told him what they thought-and took advantage of the opportunity to point out to him as plainly as I could what a waste of money there was in the public works, judicial, educa- tional and other departments, and how far from efficient was the little work turned out by these. He listened to me