The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-02-22
The FAMINE in India.

\ Calcutta telegram to the London
Times of the fourteenth Of January says;
The famine in the DecCan is assuming a
serious aspect, There is an entire failure
of the crops in one Bombay district
namely ShOlapore. Two Others-name-
ly, Kaladore and Dharwar, are nearly
as i'll Off 4 partial failure involves ,c-
we're distress in KhandiSh, Nassick,
Ahmednugger, POona, Satara and Bel
gaum. Large relief worksare sanctioned.
About 2S70 900 people are on the relief
works in Bombay. The government is
not interfering with private trade, which
il pouring in large supplies of grain The
total cost from lOss of revenue and from
expenditure on relief works in Bombay
will probably be over c2 600, ,O00 sterling.
Matters are still worse in Madras. Both
the southwest and northeast monsoon
have failed thus causing famine in
twelve districts. Large relief works
have been commenced which employ
over one million persons. Beside these,
many are receiving charitable relief
Probably the cost tn the state in Madras
presidency alone will be over c4000,GOO
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 abouy $1,000
square miles, and the total population
amounts to 5000, ,0G0, OF which 5000 600
are reported TO be included in the tracts
Immediately affected. Such being the
case, beth governments have organized
with great activity relief works. Large
gangs have been employed in making
roads, digging wells, and constructing
and clearing tanks. Greater works, such
rs railroads and canals, are in contemplN.
ton, and should necessity arise, they
will be undertaken. BY the last accounts
the very large number Of $40, 0oO men
are reported as employed on the relief
works of Madras and $50, 600 on those Of
Bombay.
The government il striving to turn the
vast amount of unemployed labor to per-
manent uses India is Il poor country,
not only because much of its soil cannot
be made profitable by the rude appf-
ances of native husbaDdry, but also be-
cause it is badly supplied with railways,
or even roads; and above all. because no
sufficient provision has been made against
the periodical drouths. Much Of il
might he made like gsrden il the water
brought by the rainy season were stored
in net work of canals to await the next
time OF scarcity. The value Of such a
system may be estimated from single
fact which DR.. Hunter mentions in his
account OF Orissa. In 1901 IN un,
finished canal in that province suiiiced
to irrigate 100000 acres, and thus to
raise 10000 hundred weight Of rice.
During the famine of 1866 all the re-
sources of the government were unable,
as we have said to provide the people
with more than l75, ,060 hundred weight.
Had the cana! existed in the time of the
famine it might have saved two or three
hundred thousand lives"
If the natives had the energy Of Euro
ppans. they would 20 long distances and
organize means of their own to get grain
but they seemed TO lose all powers OF self
help, and to have only a Ianguid wish
for life when stricken down by those ter
ribIe agencies of destruction which nature
periodically le, 8 loose on India.