9
21. With the Municipal Corporation lies the power of the purse, and
under the City of Bombay Municipal Act it is incumbent upon it to provide
for the execution and maintenance of drainage, water-works, conservancy,
reclamation of unhealthy localities, regulation of places for the disposal of the
dead, birth and death registration, measures for preventing and checking the
spread of disease, maintenance and regulation of markets and slaughter-houses.
It has powers also to control public streets, primary schools, vaccination and
public hospitals and dispensaries.
22. The entire executive power is vested in the Municipal Commissioner.
The Standing Committee acts as a sort of special council to assist both the
Municipal Commissioner and the Corporation. When once the works to be
undertaken and the services to be rendered are fully determined by the Corpo-
ration, the Municipal Commissioner is the sole executive authority under the
law for the prosecution and control of such works and services. To assist him
in the discharge of these duties the Standing Committee and the Corporation are
required by law to place at his disposal four heads of departments, including an
Executive Engineer and an Executive Health Officer. Each of these officers is
given deputies or assistants as the Standing Committee or Municipal Commis-
sioner may consider desirable.
23. The revenue of the Municipal Corporation is obtained from a general
tax on houses and lands, town duties or octroi dues upon grain and flour, sugar,
wines and spirits, etc., ghee, timber and firewood; wheel-tax and tolls, licenses
for trades, land conveyances and music; hallkhore service; water-tax, market
receipts, and receipts from Government for liquor licenses and tobacco duty.
The total municipal receipts amounted in 1908-1909 to nearly Rs. 1,02,86,000
(685,733) and the estimated income for 1911 was Rs. 1,20,00,000 (800,000).
The average incidence of taxation per head of the population was Rs. 8-14-11
in 1908-1909 (or very nearly 12s.). The total expenditure in 1908-1909
amounted to Rs. 1,06,30,126 (708,675) or just over Rs. 10-12-0 per head of
the population.
24. Sanitation.-The Public Health Department of the City is under the
control of an Executive Health Officer, assisted by two Assistant Health Officers.
One of the latter officers is in charge of conservancy measures and the other
superintends sanitary work generally. For administration purposes the City is
divided into 7 wards, each of which is in charge of a Deputy Health Officer, who
is a qualified medical man. The Deputy Health Officers are responsible both
for conservancy and other sanitary work in their respective wards. They are
each assisted by a staff of sanitary and conservancy inspectors, assistant
inspectors and sub-inspectors.
25. For the purposes of registration of births and deaths and for free
medical relief, the City is divided into 10 districts. In each district there is a
Registrar, two Sub-Registrars, and one trained visiting Nurse. The Registrars
and Sub-Registrars are trained medical men. They have charge of the municipal
dispensaries in addition to their own duties, which include the registration of
births and deaths, the checking of cemetery returns, enquiry into the cause of
death and the disinfection of houses and rooms in which infectious disease has
occurred, etc. For this latter work they are provided with a special staff of
sub-inspectors, foremen and labourers.
26. The staff of inspectors and subordinates engaged in the sanitary and
conservancy work of the City during 1909 was as follows:-
3 Chief Inspectors. 2 Halalkhore inspectors.
7 Sanitary inspectors. 202 Muccadums.
7 Assistant sanitary inspectors. 31 Patels
1 Loading Siding inspector. 6 Trip markers,
1 Night Branch inspector. 4,346 Biggaries.
6 House drain inspectors. 2,863 Halakhores.
68 Sub-inspectors. 1,327 Cartdrivers.
The ordinary disinfecting staff and a special disinfecting staff consisted of 11
sub-inspectors, 1 muccadum and 75 coolies and 4 sub-inspectors, 4 muccadums
B 136-3