FROM INDIA. A VARIED NEWS BUDGET.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 78, 28 September 1907, Page 12

FROM INDIA.

A VARIED NEWS BUDGET.

EUROPEAN CONSTABULARY. It is in contemplation to establish, as a precautionary measure, bodies of European conbtabulary in Delhi, Lahore, and Amritsar, the throe largo towns in the Punjab. The material will' be recruited from military reservists and time-expired soldiers, so as to give the authorities the. dual assistance of the police and military 'in case of need. .' THE COTTON CROP. From the first general memorandum on the Indian cotton crop for season 1907-08, issued last month by the Commercial In-. tetyigence Department, we gather that, as at present reported, the total are* under cotton is 1,275,000 acres, compared with 1,700,000 acres last year, thus showing ar apparent decline of 16 per cent. No attempt is made in the memorandum to estimate the probable out-turn at this> early stage, but the present condition of the crop is reported to be good or fair. "LOW CASTE A'XJ) LOYALISTS." On the occasion of the visit of Sir L.' Haro to Faridpur last month, a unique address was presented to his Honour \y the Namasudras of that p'.ace. ! They expressed their desire to "raise themselves in the social scale," pointing out thai, they numbered 325,000 out of the 575,000 Hindus of the Faridpur district, and presented themselves as "a loyal community." "We are low caste and loyalists," they said, and "we have deliberately held aloof from recent agitations, while yet we love our country and are eager to join in every legitimate way with others in Becking its truo welfare.' They were, they said, "a notoriously backward comrounity,"^ but also "an aspiring community." Sir L. Hare gave them a sympathetic hearing, and they were'quito happy. INCREASE' IN CRIME. Recent remarks of ' the LieutenantGovernor on the increase in violent cfimo in Beugal are noteworthy. In a Resolution published about the middle of August, ho says that out of 284 niurderti "no less than 128 were undetected" ; and of the 156 cases which came before tha courts, "convictions were obtained in only 40 per cent. The Lieutenant-Gover-nor cannot but ho.ld that : the abova figures are in tho highest degree unsatisfactory." His Honour ad<ls that "thei Inspector-General of Polipe wilj be asked to consider what can be taken to secure tatter resul£sM« future," and that "one of the mort important 1 oases was tla murder of the European manager ol Phoobsering, a tea< garden- near Darjil* ing." FIRS! BOMB OUTRAGE. The Tuticorin bomb outrage case, in which a Mohamodan Sub-Engineer of Tuticorin was killed by a bomb Sent to him. from an unknown source, ended on 15th August at Tinnavelly when Mia four accused who were alleged to have been on bad terms with the Engineer were acquitted by the Sessions Judge, who remarked that this "was the first instance of the use of such an engine of destruction as a bomb jn this country, says the Calcutta Englishman. FRANCO-BRITISH EXHIBITION. The Chamber of Commerce ■at Cawnpore lias received from the Executiv* Committee of tho Franco-British Exuibi* tion, .tobe held'in London next yealf, ths satisfactory news that the Government | of India had changed its mind on tta question of participation, having <ieci&ed after all to be represented and to expend the sum of £>iO,OQO w this direction. FOUR MILLION PATIENTS. Very nearly four million patients were treated in the hospitals and dispensaries of the United Provinces last year, an increase of over two hundred and fiftj> thousand over the total of 1905. Nearly two hundred thousand surgical operations were performed. , It is » reported that snake bites continue to. be treated with success with antirvenomoujj serum and permanganate of potash. "THE CUP THAT CHEERS.!' Indian production of tea has very'-evi. dently made a spurt, for exports to all countries combined are now rather- ahekd, of last year's, the total shipped .to 14th, Aueust being 54 millions, against 52$ millions to came date lapt year. Of thie quantity, hewever. a rather less pro- . portion haa been shipped to the United Kingdom, which says an' Indian journal, is a very satisfactory feature. Total shipments to United Kingdom to the. date mentioned are barely over 41 millions against over 414 millions to Samo date last year. "Thus foreign awe*, colonial countries have relieved us of so much of our larger exports as to leavo less for London. The foremost in thin good work is Russia, which Empire han now taken oft 6£ million pounds againr.l. 3$ millions to same period in 1906. Australia has given us great aid by' kindlf! accepting 3 millions instead of the i* million with which the Cornstalks contfcnt* ed themselves last season to date. #ombav for Gulf has drawn up level tutU last year's takings. America and sundry ports reduce the surplus to above tries, having taken less. Oeylon exports have also taken an upward turn, and latest advices piece bipmenta to the United Kingdom at 75J" million pounds, against 72J millions to same d«it« last year. On Hhe n hole therefore it appears probable that tea from bath countries for London this year wilt, exceed last year's supply."