The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-18

ship Of the land, yet to an enormous reve-
nuo In the shape Of land tax that has ADJ
sorbed from one-sixth OF the gross product
under the laws OF MENU to third, and then
a half, In times preceding the Mussulman
era: and after the Mohammedan conquest
there followed an enormous increase In the
tax. the formula being, "All the trafitc VIII
bear" So liberal prince as AKBAR Is cred
tied with decree that ran thus:
There shall be left for every who cultivstes hi,
land as much he requires for his own support TIL
the crop DO reached and that Of his family and
for seed This much shall be left him. what remains
il land tax. and shall go to the public treasury"
This is the single tax expressed In un-
mistakablc terms, and it Is far clearer than
anything which has emanated from later
advocates OF that pernicious system.
The latest conquerors Of India appear to
have improved upon AKBAR's methods. ac-
cording to a Parliamentary report:
"In consequence of tho changes introduced by the
MohAmmedan conquest and the many abuses which
later times have established the share really enjoyed
by the ryois often reduced to sixth. and but sell
dom exceeded a NTH"
Varying systems OF land tenure exist in
India, yet they all resolve themselves Into
tho Government as landlord. with the
cultivator having a hereditary and vendi-
bic right OF occupancy. from which he can
be dispossessed only upon failure to pay
the land tax. Prior to British rule this tax
was largely paid In kind, and the change to
fixed money charge has been the cause Of
many Of the ryots woes. When payable In
kind the tax was graduated by the harvest.
while now. no matter how complete the
failure. he must find tho silver demanded.
In case OF failure the amount nomlnally re-
mains the same as in seasons OF full yield.
yet. In fact. it is enhanced enormously by
the ryot's having to apply to the village
usurer. whose rule Is to "take all he has"
In other words. in seasons OF failure the
measure OF the additions to the ryot's bur-
den by tho substitution OF money charge
for tax paid in kind Is the full amount OF
such charge plus the usurious interest
paid; and this addition comes when the Gull
tlvator's revenue is nothing.
In consequence Of the conversion Of tax
In kind. proportioned to tho years harvest.
to q fixed money payment. due at time
when the cultlvator's means have been re-
duced In whole or in part, coupled with that
other diminution Of resources resulting
from subdivisions Of the holding, the mis-
erably poor peasant Is sunk to the lowest
depths of misery. and is necessarily forced
to part with progressively greater pro-
portion OF the food that should be reserved
for tho sustenance Of himself and family.
Indian agricultural methods are identical
with those Of the earliest historical period.
They are little likely to change. as the hold
f,,u 30 al ~
OF costly modern implements. Could the
ryot afford their purchase and use. no
greater calamity could befall the population.
as no other employment is possible for
more than 17O.0Oo.000 out OF the 200. 10000
that people India. Less than six per cent.
live in towns, and many Of the so-called
towns are but aggregatlons Of agricultural
villages. We're 1t possible to substitute
labor-savlng devices, It would involve en-
forced idlcness and starvation for many
millions Of the peasantry. Hence there has
been no attempt on tho part Of midas
rulers to lessen the cost Of production by
substituting agricultural machinery for the
cheap and over-abundant human muscle.
and there will he none.
With unskilled labor ut from three to eight
cents day. so inefficient Is that OF India.
where tho harvesting Is done by dlminu-
tive. undcried creature. sitting upon his
launches and using six-inch iron sickle.
and where In planting. the seed Is dribbled
by hand into a furrow made by an iron
ehod stick. that the actual money value Of
the labor involved In producing an acre Of
wheat has been officially estimated. In the
Northwest Provinces and Dude, to DO $8.17
end To- do In NOT
irrigated. This exceeds by fully as per cent.
the labor cost Of growing wheat IN the
trans Mississippi regions. where the yield Is
1875 bushels an acre as against 9.5 IN India.
An investigation Of the cost of producing
wheat in Kansas. recently undertaken by
the Kansas State Board OF Agriculture.
shows that the labor involved In preparing
the ground, sowing. harvesting. and thresh-
ing the wheat, costs. on the average. So. SO
per acre as against s5.07 on the non-irriga-
BILE lands Of the Gangetic plains. In other
words. the value Of the labor involved in
the production Of bushel OF wheat in India
is IS cents as against 80 cents In Minnesota.
the Dakotas. or Kansas. while the Indian.
with his crude mode Of sowing. plants o
half more seed than the American with his
drill. To this labor cost must be added
the value Of the seed. either the land
tax of India or the interest on the invest
ment in America. and the cost Of hauling to
the market. this last being greater in
America than in India. Valuing the Indian
ryot's labor at five cents day. the cost
OF merely cutting an acre of wheat Is 60
cents. while it Is done by contract through
out the West for so cents. Solittle does the
ryot cut in q day that ho usually carries
tho product Of his labor home on his head.
The amount OF labor involved in the pro-
duction Of an acre OF wheat in India is so
great as to more than neutralize Its appar-
ent cheapness and. were it not for the value
OF tho straw, OF which no account is taken
in the West. where there ia no other forage.
and also for the fact that wheat is grown
as a second or winter crop, It's production In
India at present prices would involve great
loss, and Indian wheat would probably cease