CIVIL AND PRESIDENCY SURGEONS. In

letter addressed

a

by the Bombay

Chamber

of Commerce to the Finance Committee, various

reductions in

Among cal the

these

public expenditure some

are

suggested.

retrenchments in the Medi-

Department are proposed. The abolition of Sauitary Commissioner and the amalgama-

tion of the civil and tration money.

are "

pointed out

military medical adminis-

as

possible means of saving

The salaries of Civil

Presidency Surgeons,"

it is

Surgeons

added,

and

"would also

bear revision, due account being taken of cases where opportunities of extensive private prac-

THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.

272

tice,

or

large

emoluments."

of

plurality

result in

appointments,

The salaries of Civil and

based

ou

which

the recommendations of

was

attached and

The scales therein fixed

1867.

April

to

military,

task

was

to

appointed

Indian medical

a

Commission,

revise

the

salaries

appointments,

substantive and additional.

executed with

were

Civil

Surgeons enjoy of adding by private practice to their public pay ; and although the duties of a Civil Surgeon are undoubtedly more responsible and far more onerous than those of a Regimental Surgeon, the privilege of private practice was, in the great majority of cases, a

retrenchment of R,g.

50

month

a

duties

committees,

on

which have

are

the orders framed upon them were conceived in a spirit of rigid economy. Due account was taken of the opportunities which

by

other

This

and

taxed

service

officers,

various

of the official pay as compared with the emoluments of an officer of the same rank holdiug a

military charge. The value of the scale of pay laid down in 1867 has undergone during the inter-

still

The

doing

same

causes

greater

officers

and

undergone weight, and

and will continue to do

so,

so.

the

which have

depreciated Surgeons have

value of the salaries of Civil in

at the Presi-

held to be available for attendance

were

sick

charges

continual increase in number and

labour and care,

great

and other executive

dency, on

the

011

civil

and it may be asserted with confidence that both the recommendations of the Commission

1886.

previous rate of pay of one of the incumbents. The old Presidency Surgeon was in fact abolished, and men, holding Professoradvance

Presidency Surgeons by G.G.O., No. 370, of 4th ships

laid down

were

[Sept.,

affected the pay of medical iu the Presidency Towns. The

measure

serving

expense of

houses, establishments, and means of conveyance, which they must maintain to fulfil their official duties, has increased enormously ; and if they were not allowed to supplement official salaries their by private practice, if not impossible, it find would difficult, they to

live in

befitting their position and The value of private practice

manner

a

responsibilities.

is very far from what it used to

depends

otherwise, the

so many that it is

on

privilege

otherwise

or

be,

and this

circumstances, personal

and

to conceive how

impossible opportunity could more heavily than it or

be

taxed

is.

Any

taxation would

vening

o-eneral scheme of reduction O

the cost of

tell with great injustice and severity on officers, unable or unwilling for any reason to obtain

niueteeu years a very sensible decline. The fall in exchange, the enhancement of

living,

the income-tax, the

general

rise of house-rent and servants' wages, and the decrease in the gains obtainable by private to hard times all

practice, owing heavily the

ou

Civil Surgeous

community?official

cases are

non-official;

public

or

"

Civil

large emoluments," whether

private

sources, or

have to work hard

they do, they them, and, as a rule,

public

and the

few and far between in which

Surgeons enjoy from

other members of

as on

and

round, have told

both.

euough

When to earn

those who do most for the

do most for Government

obtains

as

well.

full

Gov-

or

appointments of a private kind or practice among the general public; on officers holding officiating appointments for limited

additional

periods;

on

officers in delicate health with

just

sufficient energy in them to do their Government work and none else; and leave and fur-

lough pay would at the same time be substantially affected without any opportunity or hope of

adding civil

to it.

Moreover, stations, the men

as

in the

large public, and whose services are demand by the public, are, as a rule, the the

case

of

who do most for iu most

equivalent very men the do most who work, and the most valuable in labour for the remuneration it gives. So with for Government. The principle of taxing work, of their opportunities Presidency Surgeous, officers in medical civil employ, on account of private earnings were also fully considered aud the opportunities accorded to them by Governallowed for. This was done in a different way. for private practice, has been carried as ment and Appointments were freely doubled up, it reasonably, justly and safely can be. as far duties which used to be performed by two men separately paid were imposed on one at a slight There is no suggestion iu the letter uuder notice ernment in these cases

a

BENGAL JAILS.

Sept., 1886.] of

any similar rule to the law officers of Government, who are handsomely paid and

applying

very handsome additions to their pay by priIt is not easy to see vate practice at the Bar. how the proposed plan would work. An official

earn

inspection

of bank-books Avould be the

only

certain way of ascertaining who earned " large emoluments" and who did not; and if the former taxed

of

proportion to private earnings municipal and income-tax, the effect would be to place a premium on incapacity,mediocrity,misfortune, or indolence, and render pecuniarily peual populariwere

their

on

any

principle

in addition to

ty, skill, energy and usefulness.

273