The Indianapolis journal., 1897-01-18
RELIEF WORK IN INDIA
ENORMOUS DIFFICULTIES THAT BE-
SET THOSE WHO UNDERTAKE. TT.
Causes of the Present Famine and Ex-
tent of the Suffering-Some Rec
Ords of Similar Disasters.
New York OhserVer.

with an overcrowded population or -oJ.-
100000 of peasants whose annual supply of
food depends upon "A rainfall subject to
decided Irregularities it is inevitable that
India should suffer from frequent and de-
structive famines. Meteorological observa-
tions have disclosed no rule of periodicity
in these failures of rainfall by which sea-
sons of drouth can be forecast with GER
tainty. They have on the other hand, es-
tabished the fact that the fall is never
either deficient or excessive in any single
year throughout the whole of India. There
is thus always a reserve of food supply in
some part of its area, which may be drawn
upon for use in the needy districts. 1t has
been discovered, too, that winters marked
by an excessive snowfall in the Himalayas
are always followed by diminished summer
rainfall, generally in northern India, but
sometimes in other portions of the great
peninsula. Apart from these few facts,
gathered within the past quarter of a CEN
tury, there is little data from which sea-
sons of drought may be forecast. though it
is known that drought once begun, gen
orally extends over two or more years. The
approach of scarcity can be determined
only in the year in which it actually oc-
ours, and by system of observations be-
ginning with the June rainfall and continu-
ing until the autumn has made certain and
insufficient supply for the winter crops.
OF the extent of the suffering from
drought and crop failure in the
Asiatic world Western peoples have
but faint conception. In the
great drought in northern China in
1S77-1S1S no less than 9,5O0O00 persons per-
ished; and, although during the present
century. at least no single famine in India
has attained that magnitude, it is estimated
that N the score or more disasters of the
kind which have occurred between 15,000-
900 and 20,000,000 lives have been lost. That
which began in 1915 and culminate in 1877
was the most prolonged and destructive
resulting in the death of $500. 600 persons
In lSt5-66 a third of the population of 3,0O0-
Vy0 ,Sgo starved'to death in Orissa, and in 1868
1910 about l,5OO,OJO died from want in Rajpu-
tana: The famine of 1861 in the northwest
provinces was huge calamity, and the
Berar drought of 1894 was only prevented
from becoming so by lavish expenditure
on the part of the Indian government
Prior to The white conquest famines OF i'm
mense dimensions devastated the peninsula
resulting occasionally in an appalling decl-
nation of the feebler classes of the popula-
ton These classes numbering approxi-
mately 40. LOCO, are always so near star
walton that a season of drought reduces
them at once TO eXtremiteS of hunger.
OLD-TIME RELIEF METHODS
In the old days the devices for famine re-
lief in India were of the usual Asatic sort
First, the shops of the grain dealers were
sacked and their owners murdered. When
that failed the offices of the native gov
ernments were besieged. and when the
royal granaries were emptied the gods
were propitiated with sacrifices end
ing with the slaughter of human victims
and the distribution of their flesh over the
barren fields. But during the past thirty
years these devices have given way to
remedial measures of Il more p.actical and
effective kind. Taught by long experience
the government of india has elaborated a
system OF relief, machine-lke in its opera
ton, capable or being put into effect at any
time and of adjustment TO the needs of any
particular scarcity. The old notion that a
government cannot be made re. ponsible for
deaths from starvation any more than for
deaths by fever has disappeared. livery
rural official is made to feel mis- responsible
ity and is minutely instructed beforehand
to his particular duty in each stage of
scarcity. First, system of crop forecasts
gives notice of the possible approach of
famine. When the possibility becomes
| from further reports probability the gov
/ ernment begins active preparations to meet
| it. its forecasts may not prove correct. but
| il acts at once and energetically, knowing
| that if it waits TO verify Its estimates action
] will be too late 20 be effectuai.
The fact that only one full crop in the
| year has been reaped, that the late fall
|
| spring is in jeopardy is sufficient To set the
| great machine in motion. The character
| of that machine and the method of its
| operation is we'll known to every district
| officer in India 1t embraces what are
| known as relief works that Is, such pub
| lie works the construction ot railways.
! the digging of canals and wells, turning the
| courses of rivers, etc, on winch thousands
| upon thousands of the distressed are en-
| ployed. The wages paid are small, but as
| the government seeks TO prevent the crea-
| los cal
| needy are. 80 far as possible. required 10
| work for their support. All the suffering
! cannot, however. be drawn to the relief
(; works Could they be, the task of relief
| would he a comparatively simple one, Tor
/ while the mortality from crowding women
| children and the aged into the extempo-
| riZed villages of mat hutS near the earth
| works would be considerable starvation
could and would be prevented But there
| is a large percentage of the suffering who
! will not or cannot bring themselves &c
| food and who must have it brought neal
enough to their homes for purchase IL they
are not to starve. The government must
| therefore do a great work in the diStribu
| ton of food. and for this purpose must moi
| only accumulate supplies of grain at grea
| centers. but arrange TO transport gram tC
| hundreds of thousands of people scattered
| through thousands of villages remote iron
| these centerS.
| OTHER DIFFICULTIES.
AS the difficulty Of such distribution j!
| enormous, owing to the scale on which i
must be conducted. the aim of the govern
| ment is TO leave il to the ordinary chan
| nels OF trade. 1t interferes only when tn
| grain dealer raises prices beyond the abil
| ity of the people to pay. OF when that abil
ity has ceased altogether. In the district
where the mass of the peasants own o.
hold lands the system works satisfactorily
the grain dealers advancing food to tn
people on the strength of their holdings y
the same time, by raising the price or grain
they force the people to economiZe. the be
suit often being that the latter endure
season of scarcity much better than WOu!,
be expected from their apparent resources
But there is in many districts of India
large class of landless laborers. who hav
nothing on which TO borrow, and who form
the most hopeless element in a famine. -
| long as they can get Il quarter meal dail.
for themselves and their families they vii
cling to their huts and shut their eyes q
their impending fate. When all is gon
apathy is succeeded by a sudden burst o
despair. and. in the famine of 1865 thou
sands of starving men. women and cnfldrel
flee from their homes in a vague hope o
finding relief somewhere. To this clas
must be added the poorer artisans. tn
great crowd of incompetents who saw
nothing and the class still lower. which
| lives no one knows how, but which lives
nevertheless
1t is for these classes chiefly that tn
| government of India is Low putting its ma
chinery of relief into operation over a re
glon in northern India one thousand mile
| long and five hundred miles wide That
will work so effectively that ali loss OF lif
will be averted is not TO be expected. A sc
rious defect of the system is the inadequat
provision made for importing and STORM
grain in the distressed districts which ar