The Sircar Press In Trivandrum

  • Published on June 07, 1909
  • By Staff Reporter
  • 457 Views
This article / write-up appeared in Svadesabhimani. Svadesabhimani.com has not made any changes.

It is to be deeply regreted that almost every issue of the 'Swadeshabhimani ' is generally found to contain more or less of matter seriously ill of Mr. C.V.Raman Pillay B.A., in his capacity as the Head of the Sircar Press. Many might already have begun to think why, of all the Government institutions in the State, and all the Public Servants therein, the Press and its Boss Mr.Pillay alone should so strikingly often be made the subject of such painful strictures. This line of consideration struck the Swadeshabhimani long ago, with the result that several pieces of various kinds have, from time to time, been thrown out, either partly or en masse, whenever the least possibility permitted their non -publication. One's feelings of wonder are unavoidably roused when it is seen that both Mr.Raman Pillay as well as the Huzur authorities are simply " proof against" all these condemnatory reverberations "as firm rock or castle roof against the winter shower  is proof."  The fervent and urgent attention of the Durbar to the affairs at the Press is again and again most earnestly invited , if not  by anything else, at least by the revolting truth that as seen, Mr. Raman Pillay has bitterly alienated from him more than the bulk, to be sure, of his subordinate population - a truth explaining why such large columns of dirty information about him are being almost daily received with some degree of correctness at the sanctum sanctorum of the Journalistic amphitheatre. Nay, the matter becomes all the more horrible in the light of the fact that not even one word of contradiction of the gigantic number of impeachments of Mr.Raman Pillay has ever been seen so far as could be remembered. This preface and apology is the out-come of a particular set of deliberations which occupied the editorial mind when, the other day, certain manuscripts concerning the Press Superintendent reached this office - when it was remarked by a certain party that "hammerings of this sort , so -oft  repeated , at one public servant, be the worst, should be thought derogatory to a Public Journal." With due deference to all side-views of moderation and leniency included in Journalistic action, no Journalist might be justified in withholding the following facts, which, as well as similar ones already published, if the Dewan does not notice , "woe be", as the employees of the Press say, not without being echoed by the public in general. The first of the general paragraphs to hand at present runs thus in the very words of our correspondent:-

" The work of printing the new settlement returns of the thirty one taluqs of Travancore has become notorious in as much as there has been in connection with it a considerable extent of howl and discontent . To omit all old stories , and come to the point at once , the returns of thirteen taluqs in this Land of Charity have been given to a printing firm in Madras at the rate of Rs. four- and -a-half per form. The work consists of over fifty five thousand forms,  a taluq being made up of from twelve to five Pravarthies -the returns of a Pravarthy amounting to five hundred forms. The cost of the job is therefore about Rs. two-and -a half lacs; even one pie of which none of the Presses in Travancore is lucky enough to have!  The charge of Rs.4  1/2 ( four -and-a-half) is exclusive of such things as (1)paper, (2) postage of manuscripts , printed forms etc from and to Trivandrum and Madras ; (3) pay, batta etc or four proof readers of the Travancore  public service during their stay at Madras ;  etc. With all that the Madras forms are characterised, by an intolerably large number of mistakes, and by the use of " ditto" as much as possible. Further, those forms have no errata statement . Now, just look at the same work done, at the Sircar Press, with the returns of the remaining taluqs. Here it is paid for at one rupee per form! Nay. "ditto" is not allowed ! Nor is it all. The compositors have to furnish errata statement done by them free of charge, although mistakes are comparatively fewer than in the case of the Madras forms!!!

Amongst the numerous dirty practices at the Press, is one which is more outrageous than any. You know, the work of printing the settlement returns is being earned on as a job i.e. on a system of work by which compositors and the like are paid for the work they do instead of  by fixed monthly salaries. There happens to be some sort of league between the Manager of the Settlement Office and the Boss or some of the young Bosses at the Press; for, as the result there of the Manager has entrusted one Vydianatha Iyer, a man depending on him and unable to work and earn a living, to the care of the Press authorities, with the result that each of the (68) sixty eight compositors doing the settlement job has to give the lucky Mr.Iyer one day's work or one page every month, which secures him about Rs.20 per mensem -- the un-vydian - like Iyer sleeping all day long in safety at some of the solitary corners in the premises of the Press institution. There are certain dodges practised in order to hide this species of machination; but, they chance to be too leaky to hold water. Another favour meted out at the Press at the expense of the compositors is that there are some raw Tamilians sent from the Settlement Office to the Press on special duty for the work of reading proofs- men, who not knowing Malayalam, have simply to sign the proof -sheets; the compositors, who are Malayalies, or have been Malayalamised, reading the proofs. Now, the favour to Vydiyanatha Iyer is out of Charity, which is the household divinity of the State; the obligation to such Proof-readers is to keep up the dignity of the Settlement Office; but, why no payment to the compositors for teaching Malayalam to these Malayalam Proof readers? The fact that some other proof-readers turn up or work only now and then or at will, there by adding to the proof- reading work of the compositors, does not matter much because they are songsters, who do some singing work both at the office and at the Superintendent's bungalow: where as no justification whatever is to be had for the following revelation. Clerk Mr. Sankara Pillay was, for reasons more to be divined than assigned, in the habit of collecting from these compositors a rupee per head every month, the poor men not daring to grumble as he was then made being a permanent clerk, entrusted with cash-keeping business in place of Mr. Grecio since the recent undesirable occurrence in the cash chest, some of the compositors refuse to continue giving the one rupee, and are being consequently persecuted. They quote, as authority, the fact that Mr. Madhavan Pillay, Foreman, who used to get a similar amount, some time ago, when he was  doing the fancy trick, does not now get it as the fancy does not now exist. All their arguments fail; Mr. Sankara Pillay's muff is up!  By the by, where  is the record showing the payment of Rs.60(sixty) made on 18th Medam to the Superintendent by Mr. Sankara Pillay ? If it is a loan, then it is against Sircar rules and discipline. If not why was it not at once  noted in the accounts; has it been noted at all? To what item does this amount of(60) sixty  belong? Is any Thanoo involved in the matter? Household Divinity of the Land of Charity! Where art Thou? God almighty help the compositors!! Heaven sprinkle down some drops of honesty into Travancore especially into its Typographical Department!!!

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