India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947; India -- Politics and government -- 1765-1947
Now, whatever may be said about the necessity of maintaining a strong
European element in the departments which require initiative, courage,
resourcefulness and all the other qualities of "leadership" they are
certainly not a _sine qua non_ for efficiency in secretarial work. We
can see no reason why, then, the different secretariats of the
Government of India cannot be manned mainly, if not exclusively, by
Indians. Their salaries need not be the same as those now paid to the
Europeans engaged in these departments. May we ask if there is any
country on earth where such high salaries are paid to the secretarial
heads of departments as in India? Secretaries to the Government of India
in the Army and Public works and Legislative departments receive 42,000
Rs. each ($14,000, or £2800 a year); Secretaries to the Government of
India in the Finance, Foreign, Home, Revenue, Agriculture, Commerce and
Industry and Education departments get Rs. 48,000 a year each ($16,000
or £3,200); Educational Commissioners from 30 to 36,000 Rs. ($10,000 to
$12,000).
These secretarial officers are not of Cabinet rank. Besides their
salaries they get various allowances, and the purchasing value of the
rupee in India is much higher than that of 33 cents in the United States
or of 16d. in the United Kingdom, the exchange equivalents of an Indian
rupee. The same remarks may be made about Provincial Secretariats. We do
not ignore the fact that a European who cuts himself away from his
country and people for the best part of his life cannot be expected to
give his time, energy and talents for the compensation he might accept
in his own country, nor that, if the best kind of European talent is
desired for India, the compensation must be sufficiently attractive to
tempt competent men to accept it. In Paragraphs 318 to 322, both
inclusive, the Secretary of India and the Viceroy have put forward a
forceful plea for improvement in the conditions of the European Services
by (_a_) increment in their salaries, (_b_) expediting promotions, and
(_c_) grant of additional allowances, and also by bettering the
prospects of pensions and leave. We are afraid the only way to obtain
the concurrence of Indian public opinion in this matter, if at all, is
by restricting the number of posts which _must_ be held by Europeans.
The _cadre_ of services to which the rule of percentage is to apply must
be reduced in strength, and if Europeans are required for posts outside
these they should be employed for short periods and from an open market.
For example, it seems inconceivable to us why professional men like
doctors, engineers and professors should be recruited for permanent
service. Nor is there any reason why the recruitment should be confined
to persons of British domicile. The Government of India must be run on
business principles. With the exception, perhaps, of the higher posts in
the I. C. S. and in the Army, all other offices should be filled by
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