Director: Kenneth Villiers
Summary: Map of India showing the province of Bengal (33), rivers in the province (55), fertile plain, crops growing (70), modern communications - telegraph and tele- phone wires, roads, ships going down rivers, railways (96), typical town - the main street crowds, carts, bazaars, vendor making sweetmeats, ancient houses, the civic centre (232), the district officer settling matters brought to his court sessions. Flashback showing how the district officer started as a sub- divisional officer of the Indian Civil Service - the sub-divisional officer arrives to take up his post, he is shown his home, his duties include inspecting the military forces, the treasury and the gaol, dealing with peasants' petitions in court, visiting villages, inspecting crops, irrigation schemes and hospitals. He eventually becomes an additional district magistrate, then district officer (620). The district officer attends to problems brought to him. To help him, he has a body of administrative men who hold meetings at the village to settle local disputes. Officers responsible to the district officer, including the irrigation officer, the civil surgeon, and the police superintendent, make their reports to him (940). The district officer then has to make his report to the Chief Secretary at Calcutta (962). Back home, he entertains his friends, then retires to bed to study more reports until he is interrupted by an emergency call that a river has burst its banks. The district officer immediately sets out to supervise the relief measures (1116 ft).
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