The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-25
PROGRESS OF me IyDIlN FrMIyr.
shocking Accounts Of the State Of the
Mllinns of PeOple Who Arc StnrNInE.

Famine in India continues its devastating
work and there are now 5.0O0.OO0 people actually
dependent on Government relief works, with nearly
four times the nnmber on the verge Of starvation,
and nearly 5000, 900 living on insufficient food.
The death rate is so excessive that lnrrr areas
will suffer for lack Of population for years. \
letter from talcutta written AT 10" end 81 January
gives n shocking account Of the condition OF III"
people in the famine stricken districts, and a
dismal outlook for the future.
In Raiputana the villagers bofor' going on
the relief works had been reduced TO eating the
leaves Of the pepul tree and oil cake ordinarily
fed to cattle. This diet so injuries their digestive
organs that when they come ON the relief works,
the return to common food d~isagrees with lhpm
and they die by hundreds. From that cause
and from utter exhaustion, deaths are so numer-
Gus on the relief works that fires are kept burning
night and day without intermission, To burn the
bodies of the victims. In Rniputana, as in the
bombay Presidency and Bnroda, the scarcity
Of water is added 10 the back Of food. In ordinary
times the rainfall Is not too great in these high
lands. but now the country is approaching IN,
aspect Of u desert Tn" Cattl" IRE dying of Ike
lilies, and cannot b. sold at one rup" now aS corn
pared with thn ordinary pric' NJ nifty ur seventy
live rupees. Numbers OF p 'up" die ON their way
10 the relief works, and children are constantly
haiug picked up hy In sides Of their dead moth ~.
with Inc scarCity Of food prices have risen: and
whrrn in ordinary times Ilr could b" sustained
on three rupees or o. cents n month, II now
requires from on" to two rSp - more. tn" r.
sources at the disposal Of tn" Indian Government
are totally In adequate to meet IN" Increasing
want of the population, and TIA" cOntnbutluUs
from private source, arr So lnilnlt"Simal a. com
F. par d with the needs, that unless thr British Pa
larlrnt takes some action a Cunplpt" CullHp~a
Of thn efforts to stem the raNareS Of tn" famine
l. threatened.
What speIa- rmarkabl" in the midst of the
misery of the people il that So ieW Of the wealthy
Indians sem IN ~ doing anything worth sp'hh-
ing If 10 aid their poorer fellow COUutrNmrn.
Their, ar native mobiles and princes possessed
of great wealth, some even Of colossal fortunes,
vet W. henr Of no great organized movement on
their part to rSr to the level Of the occasion. Thy
seem tu b. content 10 l"Avr oN'rythinE To official
initiative and official control, which j. always
slow and seldom Sympathrtic, whiir, unfurtu-
ualply, relief funds administered by religious
Iudirs ar too L. pently used tor seCtarAn ends,
and So deter thu p'opl" with their strong rae"
aud caste prrludiC"s from avAiiing th"nsriy ~
Of tn generous intentions uf tn donors.
it'll Tho horrors thai ar passing IN lndih,
the general public In highland S'rmS a. W. very
nttIr concerned l. has 10 thought, apparently,
for auvrhinE at present but TN war in South
Africa. md IT would seem ~ though nothing
but some startling incident Arising out vi the
Grsp.rnir CONDITION ul IN people would rouS
th"nl ru a EMS, of III" danger threatening British
rub IN India. The India press, with II, eye tErG
fixed uu IN DraCuuian press law lately p0~"d
Ly ihu British Indian 'r"Nr'ltn'ut L. Cull-pi'.
uuI~ly prDluS' IN It's expressions ut loyalty 10
BRUSH ruIr, but II i, notorious that tn spirit
Of Gi,afrcrnn Is spreading all over India. aud
that to such an extent hat yr's n raj roget
i, felt among A~nglU-luGIhns lhdt ih" lHre' con.
in. M @ut from India To TN army in SOuLn
Ain,a vas Withdrawn lIom Me %eouhIy.