construction subject to the condition that an equal amount is provided by the district board concerned. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOTOR TRANSPORT. 302. We received a large volume of evidence to the effect that the condition of the roads in India has deteriorated in recent years and that deterioration has been most marked where the roads are maintained by local bodies. The rising cost of labour and material and the increasing strain this has involved on the resources of local boards, which have never been adequate to all the demands on them, are in themselves sufficient to account for the condition of many roads. The appearance of a new factor, the development of motor traffic, has in every district seriously aggravated these difficulties. The private motor car and the public motor omnibus have brought into existence an entirely new range of problems of road construction and maintenance, but it is the motor passenger services which have sprung up with astonishing rapidity all over India and Burma which have done most to increase the complexity of these problems. There are, as yet, few instances in which, for the transport of agricultural produce, the motor lorry has displaced the bullock cart even in the large industrial centres. It is doubtful whether it will ever supersede the bullock cart for short distance traffic in rural areas, as the cultivator is hardly likely to find it a cheaper method of transporting his produce to the nearest market than by his own bullocks. For longer distances, its use is severely limited by the condition of the roads and by the obstacles presented by the many unbridged rivers which still exist even on main routes of communication. 303. The rapid expansion of motor traffic has compelled both the Imperial and provincial governments to face the fact that the roads of India can no longer be regarded as a matter of purely local concern to the extent they have been in the past. Road boards have been established in Bombay, Burma, Madras, the Punjab and the United Provinces. Their functions are in the main advisory and it is only in the Punjab and Burma that the Communications Board, as it is termed in those provinces, has wider functions and has embarked upon an ordered programme of road development. The Punjab Communications Board consists of twelve official and seven non-official members, the officials representing those departments which are interested in the development of rural communications. It not only advises on the classification of roads, as do the road boards in other provinces, but it distributes the grants-in-aid from provincial funds which are given for their construction and maintenance. The grant-in-aid for the latter object is made conditional upon satisfactory maintenance. The Burma Communications Board has somewhat similar powers and its Road Committee has, since 1924, considered 241 projects and approved of work estimated to cost Rs. 467 lakhs. ROAD BOARDS IN THE PROVINCES. 304. Even more THE ROAD DEVELOP MENT COMMITTEE. significant of the importance which the problems of road transport in India have recently assumed has been the appointment by the Government of India, under a Resolution issued by the Commerce Department on November 3rd, 1927, of a Committee consisting of fourteen members of the central legislatures to investigate them. The Committee has been requested to examine the desirability of developing the road system of India and, in particular, the means by which such development can most suitably be financed. It has further been asked to consider, with due regard to the distribution of central and provincial functions, whether it is desirable that steps should be taken for the co-ordination of road development and research in road construction by the formation of a Central Road Board or otherwise. NECESSITY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROADS OTHER THAN 305. The appointment of a special committee to investigate the whole question of road development in India renders it unnecessary for us to discuss the problems which will come under its consideration as exhaustively as we should otherwise have done in view of their intimate bearing on our own enquiries. We have little doubt that the Committee's recommendations will result in the constitution of road boards for all provinces and trust that such boards will have not merely advisory functions but will be entrusted with functions similar to those which have been given to the Communications Boards in the Punjab and Burma. The constitution of such boards, especially if a Central Road Board for India is concurrently established, will furnish a much needed stimulus to an active policy of road development in all provinces. In our opinion, the cultivating classes cannot fail ultimately to derive great benefit from the adoption of such a policy. It should also benefit the railway systems, for all improvements in communications create traffic. It would, however, appear from the terms of reference to the Committee and from the questionnaire which it has issued to local governments that its main concern is with the arterial roads of India with special reference to the needs of motor transport. In these circumstances, we would stress the importance of including roads which, under the Punjab system of classification, would fall in class III, and of village roads, in any ordered programme of road development. The provision of excellent main roads adequate in all respects for every form of transport is of little benefit to the cultivator if his access to them is hampered by the condition of the road which connects his village with them. What matters most to him is the state of the road between his village and the main road and his market. We agree with the view expressed by the Indian Taxation Enquiry Committee, and implicit in the appointment of the Road Development Committee, that it is difficult to exaggerate the political and economic advantages of the development of rapid means of transport in India and that it is desirable that the development of motor transport services should be encouraged. We should, however, consider it unfortunate if the growing sense of the need for improving main roads were to divert attention from the need for improving the subsidiary communications which are of even greater importance to the cultivator. We, therefore, hold that along with the policy of developing main roads should go that of developing communications between them and the villages which are not situated immediately on them. We are glad to observe that the danger that increased attention to main roads may lead to the neglect of roads at present classified under class III has been recognised in the Punjab and that it is the intention eventually to remove the distinction between them and class II roads. THE FINANCE OF ROAD DEVELOPMENT. 306. In view of the appointment of the Road Development Committee, we make no suggestions as to the manner in which the development of the arterial roads should be financed. We have little doubt that one result of the Committee's labours will be the complete reclassification of the road systems of all provinces and that many more roads will be included in the arterial system than is at present the case. We hope, in any case, that local bodies will be relieved of a large part of their financial obligations in respect of such roads. We would express the earnest hope that any funds thus set free will be devoted to the construction and maintenance of roads which do not fall within the arterial road system. Such roads must continue to be, in the main, the concern of local bodies but we are strongly of opinion that, as will be the case in the Punjab when these roads are transferred from class III to class II, the local governments should give liberal financial assistance to local boards in the discharge of their duties towards them. Grants-in-aid in the Punjab are made in consideration, inter alia, of the financial circumstances of the local boards. We entirely approve this policy as it can hardly be regarded as equitable that the cultivator in a particular district should be handicapped as compared with the cultivator in another part of the province by the fact that his district board is too poor to construct new roads or to maintain in tolerable order those already in its charge. The development of all roads would undoubtedly be much more rapid if the policy of financing a road programme from loans rather than from current revenues were accepted and if the rules governing provincial loans made provision for such a policy. The annual amount required for the amortisation of provincial loans raised for this purpose should not be a heavy charge on the resources of a province, as roads and works connected with them are works of a quasi-permanent character. One of the most important considerations in framing any programme of road development is the cost of maintenance. It is obviously of little use constructing new roads unless there is a reasonable certainty that funds will be forthcoming to keep them in proper order. The cost of maintenance must often be the determining factor in a decision whether a road should be metalled or not. In areas which are newly brought under irrigation such as those which will come under the Sukkur Barrage project, the provision of an adequate road system is obviously the duty of the State. Part of the sale proceeds of land at its disposal may well be utilised for this purpose. The cost of such road construction should be largely set off by the increased price realised for land situated on the roads. 307. We have mentioned that, in Madras, the local Government have, since 1925-26, given an annual grant of several lakhs of rupees for the construction of village roads, THE DEVELOPMENT OF VILLAGE ROADS. subject to the condition that an equal amount is provided by the district board. No grant is, however, paid for the maintenance of such roads. Burma is the only other province in which specific provision has been made for these roads. The provision made in 1927-28 amounted to approximately one lakh of rupees. In the Punjab, the Communications Board has offered a two-thirds grant-in-aid to any district board which submits a programme for improving village roads in a group of villages. It must, we think, be recognised that, even if local bodies are relieved to a substantial extent of their financial responsibilities in respect of arterial roads, their staff and funds will still be hardly adequate to the work which lies before them in developing class III roads. Most of them will not be in a position to do much, if anything, for village roads. The policy followed in the three provinces mentioned above, which we cordially approve, is evidence that something can be done to advance matters in this respect. But for some time to come and until the more urgent needs of the roads which fall definitely within the district road system have been satisfied, any improvement in the condition of village roads must depend largely, if not entirely, on the efforts of the villagers themselves. Some improvements could, we think, be effected if the villagers could be induced to realise their joint interest in the matter. The construction of new roads, in all but very few instances, will be beyond their resources and assistance from provincial or local board funds will be required. The maintenance of the roads is, however, on a different footing. Here, labour is the most important factor and it should be forthcoming if the tradition of corporate labour which still exists in many parts of India, notably in respect of repairs to minor irrigation works in Madras, could be translated into action. We point out in our chapter on Rural Industries and Labour that, in most parts of India, there are long periods of the year when the villager has much spare time on his hands and the utilisation of some of this on the improvement of his roads, whether they are within the village itself or connect it with an arterial or local board road, should not be entirely outside the sphere of practical politics. The village panchayats which have been established in some provinces should prove useful agents for this purpose. The co-operative movement, especially in the Punjab, has shown what can be done to improve village amenities in other respects and could well be brought into play here also. Any efforts at self-help should be encouraged in every possible way and such financial assistance as can be made available should first be given to villages which are willing to tax themselves either in the form of money or of the provision of labour. QUALIFIED 308. We consider that all district boards should have the services of a qualified engineer. We cannot regard it as satisNECESSITY FOR A DISTRICT factory that district board roads should be in charge of a subordinate of the supervisor or overseer class, as they are, for example, in some districts of the United Provinces, even if the agency of the Public Works Department has to be BOARD ENGINEERING called in for original works and repairs costing more than a certain amount. We are aware that the efficiency of the district board engineering staff must depend to a very large extent on the resources of the local board, but, however straitened may be the finances of the board, we cannot but think that the employment of a competent engineer must in the end prove a wise economy. We, therefore, recommend that it should be insisted on in all cases. INTERFERENCE OF ROADS WITH DRAINAGE LINES. 309. In dealing with the irrigation problems of Bengal in Chapter X, we have mentioned the serious effects on the health of a district which may ensue from the interference with natural drainage lines by the construction of road embankments. The problem is one which is by no means confined to Bengal and we consider that special attention should be paid to the point in all schemes of road development, whether undertaken by the Public Works Department or by local bodies. We consider that no local body should be permitted to embark upon any scheme which involves the raising of a road above the level of the surrounding country unless the approval of the provincial Road Board or, where no such board has been constituted, that of the provincial Government has been obtained. 310. Road bridges over nullahs and other natural obstacles are still too generally lacking. In addition to the ROAD BRIDGES. inconvenience thereby occasioned to traffic, material damage to the cultivators' cattle frequently results from the strain of dragging heavy loads up precipitous slopes. We think that local authorities may not in all cases be aware of the concessions allowed by the railway authorities for the building of road bridges alongside of railway bridges. Details of these concessions are given in Chapter IV of the Rules for the preparation of railway projects (revised edition 1926) and we would suggest that the special attention of all local authorities should be drawn to them. MENT. 311. The active policy of railway development in every direction, which RAILWAY DEVELOP is being pursued both by the Railway Board and by the railway systems of India and which has been greatly facilitated by the separation of the railway budget from the general budget, cannot fail to exercise a profound influence upon rural development generally. The programme of expansion which has been undertaken will, during the next five years, add another 6,000 miles of open lines to the 38,579 miles of railway already in existence, of which 27,264 are owned by the State, 13,169 being worked direct by State agency and the remainder by companies on its behalf. Another 3,000 miles will be under construction at the end of that period. We welcome this progressive policy and we have no doubt that the optimism underlying it is well-founded. We are confident that the construction of feeder lines in tracts where the indications are reasonably promising will be justified by the volume of traffic forthcoming. We note, for instance, that in the case of the Shahdara-Narowal Railway, which was opened in December 1926, the actual gross earnings for the first six months of working have |