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Elaborate accommodation specially built at Vahong; different methods of administration in Homalin |
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To Vahong. The village has moved and the march proved a long one. On arrival we found that a city had been built for our accommodation in positively super-Manipur tradition. My basha was 36' by 26' and included a fenced veranda. Mr. Mitchell Sub-Divisional Officer, Homalin, for whom I believe arrangements had not been made, occupied a similar basha probably intended for the President, Manipur State Durbar who shared the Political Agent's basha which was almost double the size. For servants etc. there were six bashas about 18' by 22'. All were properly built and fully thatched. The poles and beams must have entailed felling a young pine forest - and all for two nights. An appalling waste of labour and energy; clearly the Manipur tradition is in little danger of being killed by the new Sub-Divisional Officers. |
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Mr. Mitchell who came instead of the Deputy Commissioner, Upper Chindwin, delayed by his Commissioner's touring, had a few things to discuss with me and a witness or two in an arms act case which we disposed of that evening. We arranged to join up the Primi - Kerami and Layshi bridle path at Phowakongri, below Shiloi-mol. When the Sub Divisional Officer, Homalin, goes on tour he is compelled to have an escort even in his fully administered hill villages, and the revenue from the Somra Tract is not paid by the head-men into the Homalin Treasury but collected by the Sub-Divisional Officer in person with an escort of 25 rifles. This is what one expects of Burma methods, but is hardly administration, and it is only fair to say that the Sub Divisional Officer would leave his escort behind if he was allowed to do so. It alone must cost almost the amount of revenue received. |
