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could not be questioned. The personnel of the Commission and their Report commanded public approval. I accepted it and so did the Legislative Council, which added an area that the Commission did not recommend. Public opinion and local feeling on the whole supported the inclusion of the added area. In regard to this question of the expansion of boundaries, I explained my policy to the Legis- lative Council, and I hoped that in the years to come it would be followed by my successors in office and the Government of the dav. I said:

'My idea is that as the years roll on the municipal limits of Calcutta will grow and expand until it includes even Barackpore within its boun- daries; that on both sides of the Grand Trunk Road, one of the finest roads in India, there will grow up little municipalities, self-governing institutions managed by local bodies under the guidance and control of the greater body dealing with the larger questions of drainage, sanitation, and water-supply. That is my conception of the future of Calcutta, and I trust that some one, filling the position I have the honour to hold at the present moment, will have the satisfaction of seeing this dream realized. To-day we meet in this Council Chamber to lay the foundation-stone of that fabric, which is destined to grow in the years to come; but the growth must be gradual and steady.

Before I leave the Calcutta Municipal Bill, it is perhaps neces- sary to point out that it is now the law of the land and governs the municipal affairs of Calcutta. It is useless to disguise the fact that the operation of the Act has been received with mixed feelings. It has created a sense of anxiety and even alarm among a section of the community who have a considerable stake in the city and have largely contributed to its prosperity. Calcutta is one of the great centres of trade in Asia, in which representatives of many races and countries have a large interest. Calcutta is also the home of a great Hindu population, whose fears have been roused by the acceptance for the first time of the communal principle in the disposal of appointments in the Corporation. Municipal affairs should not form the battle-ground of political warfare. When the civic affairs of a great city are used for political or party purposes, they are exposed to grave menace. Party aggrandizement and not the public good becomes the objective of civic efforts. The public feeling is that the spirit of the new Act is being sacrificed, and its beneficent provisions abused to serve the ends of party interests.

The Swarajist party have captured the majority of the seats in