The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-25
THE FAMINE IN INDIA.
Gravity OF the situation Made Worse
by Drought end the Plague.

Tho latest a cures relating TO the ter
rible calamity that has fallen ON party
OF India show the numbers employed on
relief works: Bombay, t2s,Oo0; Punjab.
i,Ooo; Cntral Provinces, 1.l7s.oco;
Berar, 1900; Ajmsrs, ITO 900; Raipu-
tana, 500, Ooo; Central India. $1,000;
Bombay States. $50, COZ; Baroda, 6i.OoO;
total, 2.747,000. Lord Curzon's telegram
to the India oflios in London adds 10 this
statement! "No rain; crop prospects
becoming wosss as the rain holsd of,
though In the North western provinces
and Oudh germinatlon Is good, and ir-
rigatei areas there and In PuDjab are
safe." This outside world oan have but q
faint idsa of the disastrous sff ,ot Of the
condition OF things SO ooldly described In
the official statement given. but the fol-
lowing extrsos from the letter OF n Bonn
bry O 'ficial dated Ahmedsbad, Dec. s.
1893, gives some slight indication o, It.
He says:
al came here on tour, and find there
Is every evidence Of a mine, hut the
Wholesale mortality Of cattle 10 the most
striking feature at present. Trains full
OF hides are TO be seen going to the Bonn.
bay market and this splendid breed OF
auzsrat cattle have already died In tens
OF ttousands. 1t will take many years TO
make 500 the loss.
81 am efiaid this win be the worst
famine tina Bombay presidency and India
generally has had foi very manT years
past, the areas Ia so extensive and the
failure of grass and crois 60 abb oiute, in
addition to which the water supply 10
failing. In this ususily fertile province
Of q uzerat. hajputana and kattiwar, they
have had no 81 Oh visitation within the
century, and In the Deooan, airs this 10
the second aoutB famine In three years.
Ii really seems as II this battle OF saving
life from plague and famine were never
to cease,
81 went to the pcorhouss here, which
has only been started q short time. Tor
psopls who arc picked up about the city
precincts too weak to work and OK
nausted from nothing to eat. There are
already 30 In the house little better than
living skeletons. Some ,iis every day In
the poo house. IL Is only the beginning
of what will get worss, more acute, eve
~ month for at least six months to come.
"There Is not the slightest doubt that
were the British governmenJ not here
now, wtole provinces would get dspopu-
lated, and with all the resources at our
com mand the government Is scarcely able
to stand the enormous drain on Its re.
sources The Government Of Bombay has
long siuce had to get assistance from the
Government of India, for three years
Of plague and famine have been too
muoh."
Other information from various sources
In Iudia only adds to, ami confirms what
this official describes. Inc plague still
continues Its ravages, In some places be-
coming worse as the etfsot OF famine in-
creases; tina combination OF the two
scourses also tending to an augmentation
Of crime and the spread OF disaffection.
So far, the British public have apparent
ly failed to apprt ciste the full gravity Of
the situation in India. events In South
Africa absorbing all attention, for, I'M
like the aston taken during the last
famine in raising fund for relief OF
the huugsr-stricken people, no peivats
movement has been made to render assist
anc on this occasion, 10 add to the Sc
riOu snsfs of the outlook the wages paid
to the poop lie on the relief works have
had to be reduc d on account Of their In
creasiu numbers and to avoid exhaust
ing the famine fund.