(1) The Governor-General, the Governor together with the Secretaries and Staffs.
Strictly speaking, there are no positive restrictions limiting and separating the authority of any one official from that of another. Cases go before any court to which the applicant may choose to take them. As a rule the Governor-General of the province is the executive head of all departments within his sphere and he is looked upon as a Court of Appeal from the District Courts, which are presided over by the District Governor or his subordinate officials. The main duty of the Governor-General is to collect the revenues from the landowners and to administer the province; of the District Governor, to settle the disputes of landowners, to keep the peace in his district, to circulate the Kabul proclamations and to forward from time to time any orders which he may receive from his provincial heads. The chief provinces are administered by Governors-General, the more important centres by Governors and the smaller places by District Governors, District Superintendents and Inspectors. Commanders-in-Chief are associated with the Governors-General of provinces and military officers of corresponding subordinate rank assist the civilian officials. Governors, exercising full executive powers locally, report to their Governors-in-Chief who, in turn, despatch a monthly report to Kabul.
(2) The Kazi (Judge of the Ecclesiastical Court) with his subordinate.
The Ecclesiastical Court of the Kazi is looked upon as the highest tribunal in the province and hence it is not limited to religious subjects; all civil cases, whatever their nature, may be taken before it. Generally speaking, business differences and religious disputes are settled in the District Courts, cases concerning divorce, marriage and inheritance passing before the Provincial Supreme Court. Cases punishable by death seldom come within the jurisdiction of the provincial courts. The Chief Judge of this court is called Kazi and his subordinates are Muftis. Cases are decided by a majority.
(3) The Kotwal (Head of the Police Department) together with the force of Police, Secretary and the officials of the Passport Department.
The Kotwal exercises much greater authority in criminal cases than any other criminal official whatever. He combines the duties of a District Chief of Police and a judge of Petty Sessions, while he may determine small criminal cases, forwarding the more serious to the capital. He is also in charge of the local Intelligence Department and is in each centre an official of whose tyranny, oppression and cruelty stories and poems have been handed down from posterity.
(4) Kafila Bashi (an official of the Caravan Department) with a Board of Commerce, a Revenue Office, Tax-Collector’s Office, Treasury Office and a local military force.
The Kafila Bashi is an official who supplies transport to travellers; in this respect he is responsible for the payment of all dues by travellers, as well as for the treatment dealt out to the caravan followers. He receives his commission from those who hire the animals and renders an account of every transaction to the Government. All expenses of this establishment are paid by the Government and the balance passes into the District Treasury.
The Board of Commerce settles disputes between merchants. The President of the Board presides over this court and its members are elected from among the mercantile community, irrespective of religion.
The Revenue Office settles the accounts of the revenue and keeps a record of the taxes which every landowner must pay annually to the Government. The land revenue is now fixed at one-third of the produce of the soil and is to be collected by the lambardar of each village. Associated with the Revenue Office are officers who register and copy all documents issued in connection with the collection and expenditure of revenue. Duties upon commerce are levied at the rate of 2½ per cent. upon all exports and imports, all such monies passing direct into the local treasury.