Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-23
THE FAMINE IN INDIA.
Men. Women and Children Dying on
Maximum Wages.


l reached Amrao,i at midnight. Mr.. Mud
hOlkar, an Indian pleader and a well-knoWn
congressman. waiting to receive me.
He drove me to the Oak Bungalow. These
travellers bungalows are found nearly all
over India. and supply the place of hotels
in the smaller towns. The heat in the build
ing so great that | had to open doors
and windows. But though the famine refu-
gees were lowering round the town, desper-
ate with want. l slept safely and we'll There
are large relief works near Amraot AT one
alone there We're 5.14s men, women and
children working The work given them to
do is stone breaking Stones are wanted for
road making. and the public works depart
ment has found it convenient to get the ma
terial done by cheap famine labor. Since
the government circular, issued at the be-
ginning of January to the officials. enforc-
ing the strictest economy in the giving Of
relief, wages have been lowered consider
ably. Work is paid for by the amount done.
The maximum wage is. for men, pce: for
women, q pice: for children (bnys and girls
from ten to fourteen years of age. pce.
The minimum was. men. > pice; women and
children, pice. ON these works the day
] visited them ca per cent of the men and
10 per cent of the women received the max
imum wage. Many of the others received
the lowest wage :, and pice a day Ga pice
equals ! farthing at the present rate of ex-
change. ! was Very persistent in question:
ing officials and non-officials, both on the
works and in the town, as to whether ) and
pice per day Were sufficient to provide
food TO keep in good health an adult person.
Some maintained il was, and others as
Stoutly said il was not. The controversy
over the reduction of wages is keen. The
wife of one official confessed that the food
purchasable by pice was less than was al
lowed to person in Jail and that her hus-
band advocating that it should be
slightly increased That there should be any
doubt on the matter was disquietng. for one
is creditIne the government with giving sub
stantial relief wherever the relief works are
set up. and the people work hard enough for
the miserable pay they get. But | was glad
to know that the lower wage is not yet
fixed. 1t has been tried an experiment
only and some of the officials are recon-
| mending its enhancement. l was assured
that they would endeavor TO get it so reg
ulated. according to the price of grain. as to
provide a subsistence wage to the worker.
So far the workers look in good condition.
. and as well off as the laborers one meets
with in the average village in India. The
work they do is hard-hour after hour sit
ting on the ground breaking stones from
three to five inches in length into small
pieces, and this under an eastern sky. Truly
the real test of need is the work itself Only
starving people would leave their homes to
come and work like that. 1t is well TO bear
in mind that even for those relief works
there is plenty Of room for charity. The
poorhouse is filled with the sick, the blind
| tilt il'tIt anu lHt liIIls. ana lntN are very
grateful for some addition to their regula-
| ton diet.
| tasted the bread. 1t consisted of chow
| patties round cakes like thick pancakes).
| made of jawari flour 1t eatable. but
| few of us would like to live on 1t week after
week. with only dial to relieve its mo-
| notony. There We're 500 children on the
| wprks-from toddiing babes to eight years
of age. They We're set apart in various COM
! pounds-cared for by ayahs. l wanted to
| get some cakes for them, but could only get
| some small sweet nuts. of which they are
| very fond. | purchased some large baskets
| full of these dainties for a few rupees. and
| while the man III the stall was weighing
obscrvant eyes watched us. and at once
! ''tQrk in the situation" The news spread
| over the camp. and hundreds of little chill
dren. some of them all naked and others
| Enthusiastically clad in pretense at clothes.
| came Swarming round me, and with bright
| eyes and smiling faces looked eagerly at the
| proceedings. The Indian oversoers came
| readily forward To assist in distributing the
| food. but the ,hrons increased every min
| ute. and il was necessary 10 take the chill
| dren TO their own feeding place and make
| them sit down i'll orderly rows upon the
| ground. so that in the confusion none might
| be overlooked. Four men CARRYING large
| baskets of these sweet nuts went forward
| followed by 600 or 900 children all cheering
like a groWn-up crowd. | saw the feast
begin and only wished that many English
| children could have seen that sight that
they might realize how only few shillings
| 50 spent could bring such pleasure TO hun
| dreds of these dusky little ones. l hear that
in England charity is forthcoming. 1t is
WELL for it is much needed.