The Osceola times., 1877-02-17
The FAMINE In India.

A Calcutta telegram to the I.ondou
Times Of the fourteenth Of January SAYS
The famine in the Deccan il assuming n
serious aspect. There is an entire failure
Of the crops in one Bombay district
namely sholapore. Two Others name.
iy, kaladorc and bhar~nr,-are nearly
as III Oft A partial failure involves se-
we're distress In khandish, Nas-ick,
Ahmednugger. Poona, Sstsra and Bel
gaum. Large relief works are sanctioned.
About 2S7, 900 people are on the relief
works in Bombay. The governms mt il
not interfering with private trade, which
is pouring IN large supplies Of grain. The
total cost from loss OF revenue and from
expenditure on relief works in Bombay
Ill probably be over f2 0OO, 600 sterling.
Matters are still worse in Madras Both
the southwest and northeast monsoon
have failed, thus causing famine in
twelve districts. Large relief work>
have been commenced which employ
over one million persons. beside these.
many are receiving charitable relief
Probably the cost to the state In Madras
presidency alone will be over GA 900, 900
sterling. There is also considerable dis
tress in Mysore, and the southern portion
Of the Fizam's dominion.
The area of this territory, exclusive OF
native states, comprises abou. $4,000
square miles, and the total population
amounts 10 5000, 900, oi which 5000, 600
are reported 10 be included In the tracts
Immediately affected. Such living the
case, beth governments nave organized
with great activity relief works. Large
gangs have been employed in making
roads, digging wells, and constructing
and clearing tanks. Greater works, such
~ rsilroadS and capals, are In contempla-
ton, and should necessity arise, they
will be undertaken. by the last accounts
the very large number % $40, 900 men
aie reported as employed on the relief
works Of Madras and $50, 900 on those OF
Bombay.
The government Is striving ~ turn the
vsst amount Of unemployed labor to per-
manefit hses. India Is \ poor country,
not only because much Of its soil cannot
be made profitable by the rude appli
ances of native husbandry, but also be-
cause IL is badly supplied with railways.
OF even TOuuS uuu uuUNc utif bs'"uFN ~
sufficient 7 . vision has been made agnnst
the periodical drouths. Much OF It
might be made like a girdsn II the water
brought by the rainy season were stored
in a net work of canals to await the next
time Of scarcity. The value Of such
sy.tem may be estimated from sing'e
fact which DR.. Hunter mentions in his
account oi Orissa. In 1901 an I'm.
finished canal in that province sufficed
to irrigate 100000 acres, and thus 10
raise 10000 hundred weight Of rte.
During the famine Of 1866 all the re-
sources of the government were unable,
as we have said. to provide the wotle
with more than 10, ,060 hundred weigh.
Had the canal existed in the time OF the
famine it might have saved two or three
hundred thousand lives"
n the native. had the energy Of Euro.
pean. they woild go luhg distances and
orgsnize means of their own to get grain;
but Il ey seemed to lose all powers oi self
help. and 10 have only Ianguid wish
for life when stricken down bv those ter
rible aeenc es ol destruction which natuic
periodically le 9 loose on India.