Chapter XI of Punjab Land Administration Manual

395.  Cancelled.

396.  Cancelled.

397.  Cancelled.

398.  Village notebook. For each of the estates in his circle the patwari keepw up a vernacular register or note-book which conrains the following ten table:-

(1)  area stasement of  milan rakba.
(2)  Kharif crop statement or hinxwer.
(3)  Rabi crop statement or hinswar.
(4)  Revenue account or hama wasil baki.
(5)  Statement of transfers of rights kof owners and occupancy tenants 5-A) statement of sales and murtgages of ownership by classes lkof land.
(6)  Ststement of ownership, mortgages and revenue assignments.
(7)  Statement of clurivating occupancy.
(8)  Statement of rent paid by tenants-at-will.
(9)  Statement of agricultural stoch.

The forms of these statement with detailed instructions for their perparation will lkbe found in Financial commissiioner,s Standing order No. 24.

399.  Remarks in registers. In the first six entries are made hear by year in the next three every foufrth year when a new jamabandi fothe estate is drawn up. The return of agricultural stock is perpared quinqrennially, and embodies the result of special enumeration made by the patwari in all the villages in his circle every fifth year in the month of February. The originals of all these statements are sent to the tahsil as soon as the figures have been copied by the patwari in the corresponding forms in his village note-book. The field kanungo is bound to help the patwari in compiling them, and is held personally responsible for their accuracy.

400.  Office kanungis’ copy of village notebook. The tahsil pffice kanungo keeps up a note-book for each village cintaining the ten tegisters mentioned above and an eleventh telating to the assessment of the estate,the figures in which are compiled ince for all at settlement. The other returns only differ form those in the patwari’s village note-book in so far as the heading of the tegisters are ptinted both in English and in vernacular and the entries are made in English figures. In the 11th of assessment officer,or of both on the estate are recorded, and it is the duty of the tahsildar to supplement these by  brief notes in the subsequent history of the village in each year in which its jamabandi is drawn up. And ar other times, whenever any  event occurs which seriously affects the well-being  of dthe estate. Such a note should always be made when it becomes necessary to suspend the recovery of any part of the land revenue demand, and subsequent recoveries or remissions and the teasons justifying them should also be recorded.

401.  Assessment circle and tahsil notebooks. The office kanungo also keeps up note-book for each assessment circle and for the whole tahsil containing these ten tegisters. There are blank pages at the end for entry by the tahsildar and Revenue Assestant of general remarks applicable to the assessnent circle note-book. The centers and the dates of report have been separately determibned for each district. If any changes in these centres are subsequently found necessary for any cause, reports suggesting alterations will be submitted through the Director of land Records to the commissioner of the division by the collector. In the case of districts under settlement the Settlement officer will similarly send proposals for changes through the commissioner to the Financial commissioner.

The financial commissioner in districts under settement and the commissioner in districts not under settlement, will decide whether the changes proposed ar e necessary.

The prices should be those at which  the produce of each harvest was acrually diposed of. The field kanungos should fix the rates after careful enquiry nfrom zaminders, sahukars,etc., and his entries shuould  be carefully checked by the tahsildar and Revenue Assistant and approved by  the collector. the rates goven by  the field kanungos for each circle should be compared with each  other and large discrepancies enquired into. In  the case of rice and cotton jthe price of “unhasked roce” “and” unginned corrton” Desi and American,” separately should  be quoted.

402.  Importance of regular record of notes on villages by tahsildars. Tahsildars should be encouraged to record such remarks regularity. The deputy commissioner and commissioner should discuss with him the contents of such notice at their tahsil inspections. This is very practical way of testing his knowledge of his tahsil and, provided the notes are good ones, of adding to ones own.

403.  Assessment circle, tahsil and district note books kept up by district kanungo. The district kanungo keeps up for each assessment circle and tahsil, and for the district as a whole   registers in the same form as those maintained by office kanungo at tahsils.

404.  English village notebooks drawn up at settlement. A copy of the english village note book as drawn up at the last settlement containing the remarks of the settlement officer on the estate and its assessment is kept at headquartes. It is unnecessary to maintain the registers in this copy upto date. When he wishes to study the agricultural statistics of the estate for the year during which the current settlement has been inforce, the deputy commissioner can always send for the tahsil copy of the village tahsil notebook. The origianal idea was that the deputy commissioner should record his own remarks from time to time in the english notebook kept at headquartes. But a more convenient place for recording them is the abstract village note book introduced in 1896, and it is now the rule for settlement officers also to enter there remarks in the abstract and not in the detailed note book.

405.  Abstract village note book. The abstract village note-books co9ntain for each estate the village inspection notes tecorded by the settlement officer his assessment statements and its small scale map, and also a short statement in which the chief  agricultural statisties are annually posted with quinquennial averages. Spare leaves for the entry of remarks are appended to each sheet. The abstract for all the astates of a fairly large assessment circle can be brought together in volume of moderate size. All the figures un the abstract ard are taken straight from ine kof other of the first seven registers in the vernacular village note-book. It is an excellent plan to enter on a separate sheet at the district office in the office of the district kanungo,and it is the business of the district kanungo to make the necessary the ordinary form  to suit local conditions kis cindiedrred as each district comes settlement.

406.  Use of abstract village notebook. When the deputy commissioner or any trained assistant commissioner goes on tour he should take with him the volumes of abstract village note-books belonging to the tract to be visited, and should consultanty refer to them. But it must not be supposed to that these abstracts superede the detailed village note-book. When any close inquiry into the circumstances of an estate is required, the officer who makes it should have both the abstract and the note-book before him. If he is in camp he can easily consult the patwari’s copy of the latter, and, if he wishes to see the assessment statistics embodied in statement ii, and the remarks of the tahsildar and the revenue assistant, he can call for the office kanungo’s copy.

407.  Entry of remarks by deputy commissioner. It is the duty of the deputy commissioner to enter remarks about any village in which circumstances arise that are worht recording (the twenty-fifth chapter of the settlement manual may usefully be referred to in this connection)  the ideal to the aim at is the maintenance if a continuous revenue history of each estate to which the deputy commissioner of the day and the settlement officer of the future can refer with confidence. Clear and concise contemprary notice by an experienced revenue officer who has inspected an estate and enquired into its circumstances either as part of the ordinary routine of a tour or for any special reason, can not file to be valuable. Such notice may be written by the district officer himself, or by the revenue assistant , if he knows english, or by any assistant whom the deputy commissioner consider to possess sufficient experience.

408.  Duties of commissioner with reference to agricultural statistics. Revenue administration , as already remarked, depends very largely on the success with which the records to which this chapter relates are kept up and made use of , and there is no subject ot which commissioners out  to give more attention during there inspection tours.