In the same year Lord Curzon began his policy of efficiency by reducing the CALCUTTA MUNICIPALITY from seventy-five to fifty, cutting out twenty-five of the elected members, in spite of strong protests on the part of the Indian electors. He also began to earn an enviable unpopularity among certain classes of Anglo-Indians for his characteristic vigour in denouncing a British battalion, some privates of which were believed to have outraged a native woman to death in RANGOON and remained undetected. The year 1900 was a season of terrible FAMINE, especially in the Central Provinces. About 5,500,000 people came on relief works, and famine was followed by cholera.[1] At the same time the Punjab LAND ALIENATION ACT was passed, forbidding the transference of land to any but agriculturists, the intention being to prevent the expropriation of peasants by money-lenders. LORD WELBY’S COMMISSION on Indian Expenditure issued their reports, but the majority report suggested no important changes of taxation beyond the transference of charges amounting to £293,000 a year to the Imperial Exchequer. Their recommendation that England should contribute £50,000 to the expenses of the India Office was not carried out. In 1901 the NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE was created, and in the following year LORD KITCHENER was appointed Commander-in-Chief, the Education Commission, presided over by Sir Thomas Raleigh, published its Report (Sir Guru Das Banerjee writing a Note of Dissent), and the POLICE COMMISSION began to sit under Sir Andrew Fraser (afterwards Lieut.-Governor of Bengal). In the same year Lord Curzon increased his unpopularity among the class of Anglo-Indians above mentioned, by punishing the 9TH LANCERS, because at Sialkot two privates were believed to have beaten to death a native cook who refused to procure a native woman for them; they remained undetected. The next year (1903) opened with a great DURBAR AT DELHI, the estimated cost of which was £180,000, and the real cost probably at least £200,000, apart from the local expenses of provinces and Native States. The TIBET expedition started in the same year. More important than either of these events for the history of India was the REDUCTION OF THE SALT TAX, or more properly, the reduction of the price of salt under the Government monopoly. Between this year and 1907 it was reduced from 2 rupees 8 annas per maund to 1 rupee (a maund = 82·29 lbs.).[2]