, 1874-03-04
FAMINE ASPECTS IN INDIA.

anu UH6 WulCu lue HdUlhGS VI 1uliId Will IGlHcul-
Der, that thus far during the present Elections
not one Minister, whether in power or opposi-
ton, has mentioned the Bengal famine that not
one election will turn upon it, and that of all
the hundreds of addresses before the public,
not one, that We can remember, assumes the
faintest interest in the subject. The tele-
grams are nevertheless most unfavourable.
The official report states that the prices are
slightly rising and the unofficial that a Slight
rainfall mas done good to the wells, but injury
to the crops that Mr.. Bayley, who is in the
Viceroy's Cabinet, informed the Trades As
ISOLATION that the famine was very grave, that
the scarcity is serious in North Behar, that the
wells are drying and the waters falling, and
finally, that the distress is extremely severe in
Patna. The following extract from the Times
notices on the recent work of Dir. Hunter,
Directors General of Statistics for the Govern.
ment of India will be found of interest in this
connection I'm the famine of 1910 $4,000
was spent by Government in relief, and a jhiri
Of the whole population died in 1866 ee254,-
600 and three-Quurters of a million died. In
crease your amount to G50C, 900, DIR. Hunter
says, land we shall then see what is done. The
argument is fair enough, as statistical infer
ence, but il stops too soon. In l770 the coln-
try was distracted to an almost appalling de-
SlNO' 4 II FNF1lQt Nt'N C VI lAD GOlipNH9
were empty, war was threatened, and soon ex-
listed nothing, in fact, succeeded but the
Company's dividends, which were not allowed
to fail. Dr.. Hunter has himself pictured
that fearful time with q graphic pen. In 1866
the effects of the Mutuy remained. Now,
neither condition exists. DR.. Hunter would
probably say, $50 much the better for present
action" and we grant the point freely. But
the loss of life in 1866, even as officially re-
corded, was great, and we do not hesitate to
say that it is impossible to compute in money
the limit to which, under conditions so very
different, our power 10 preserve life extends.
In 1910 there was little, if any, care for the
natives Of India, save as producers. In 1866,
thanks to the influence of our progressive civil
|liZatl0n, q new spirit WAS abroad we did en-
deav0ur, and in many cases most earnestly, to
save life, but We failed to an extent anything
but adequately rep resented, Wo fear, by the
official figures OF mortality. Now we come
again to the work, and again under new Condi-
tions. We have powers which, even as recent
ly as 1866, We did not possess. Above all, we
are at peace, and have been enabled this very
year to reduce our cash balances from 10 mil
lions ana a fraction to between 10 and Il mil
lions sterling. That is, we have appropriated
the difference between the two sums to " Public
Works Extraordinary" Actually, We believe
the cash balances in November last year were
about IA millions. Besides, our new scheme
of Finance-termed the decentralization of
Finance'-is understood to be answering ad-
mirably. We have, therefore, undoubtedly an
unusually good command Of ready cash. In
the money market, too, if we are driven to it,
we can command the best terms. 1t would
almost seem as if an exceptionally prosperous
position had been given to Us that our zeal to
save life might be put to the test. While, thon,
granting the value of minute calculations as
the basis of broad estimates, we entreat the
Government of India to draw with a holder
hand on the resources of the Empire. We do
not find that in all Dir. Hunters statistical in
quiries be has given prominence to such a queS-
ton as that of the extreme limit reached by
the relief operations of 1865-66, and whether
they were arrested in ordinary districts by the
extent Of the official power to provide food, or
only in extraordinary districts, by the nature OF
circumstances which would have rendered
double the amount Of money necessary to reach
the desired end. This is a most important
consideration as a guide to the future. For in
stance, of the 254,G89L. spent in 1866, how
much went for roads that were never used till
too late, for canals which never irrigated an
acre of land till the need had gone, for different
kinds of conveyance which were all too late in
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