THE PATWARI. 



THOUGH thepafwarfs pay is apparently small, yet it will be observed 

 that, in the villages of which they are the poorly paid accountants, they 

 and their relations hold the best jotes. Government they ignore, the 

 zemindar they laugh at. In their bastas (bundles of account papers) 

 they keep the wonderful evidence of their frauds which they hide by 

 forgeries and cooked accounts. 



The pativari being by law the man appointed especially to keep 

 ryots' accounts, to give them receipts for rents paid, and to account to 

 the zemindar for rents collected, is the most important of the zemin- 

 dar^s servants. His basta (bundle of accounts) the village record of 

 rates and rights, and he is the backbone of the Ryotwari system. At 

 present, the zemindar who pays the pativari, has no control over him. 



The pativari difficulty might be arranged in the present clay of high 

 English education as a connecting link between the masses and the 

 Government. For \\iQpafivari to become the true friend of the ryot, he 

 must first be entirely separated from the zemindar. I would propose 

 that the pativari commence as a probationer in charge of one village 

 on Rs. 6 a month, rising to Rs. 12 ; after his probationary period expire, 

 he would be promoted to the appointment of pativari on Rs. 20 a 

 month, with charge of, say, 15 villages. The next rise would be that 

 of Assistant Superintendent of pativaris, the charge being a circle of 

 150 villages, and the pay anything from Rs. 30 to 50 per mensem. 

 I would suggest an Assistant Superintendent of pativaris in each 

 subdivision, and over all a Superintendent of pativaris on pay rising 

 from Rs. 60 to 100 in the head-quarters of the district, where he would 

 have the office and records, and be under the direct supervision of the 

 Collector. This would enable work to be carried out systematically, 

 and secure a better class of men, as well as do away with the hereditary 

 monopoly of loot possessed by the present class of pativaris. It would 

 secure the Government a large number of loyal servants, and provide 

 for a still larger class of educated natives who at present have nothing 

 to do. The money to pay this could be raised by a pativari cess 

 to be realized from landlords only. 



