Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-06

day it is the home of nearly a million
happy and prosperous people, working
about 210000 farms of five to fifty acres
each, or an average of twenty-five acres
per farm Two years ago 1880 52j acres
were harvested, and the value of the crop
was $16,S45,00O 1t was produced by an
irrigation system that cost $S,62S,3sO, While
the government derived profit of 14.ol
per cent upon its benevolent enterprise.
The land was given away to settlers who
were brought from the famine districts IN
the neighborhood. The dams, canals and
bitches were constructed by FAMINE Ia
bor"; by men and women for women do
manual labor in India the same as mem
who had food were unable to OBTAIN
other employment and would have died OF
starvation but for the intervention OF the
government. Instead of feeding them at re-
lief stations and pauperizing them, as had
been the practice in previous years, the
government shipped the starving creatures
to the Rechna Doab desert and set them at
work at living wages. Then, when the sys-
tenn was completed, these same poor people,
or as many of them as were capable OF
farming. were given little tracts OF 1rrl-
gated land to cultivate without rental. They
are, however required to pay land tax OF
40 cents an acre, and certain advertised
rates for the use of the water, which are
collected when the harvest is gathered
The water rates are graded according TO
the character of the crops, because some
crops require more water than others.
When farmer simply wants his land mois-
teneQ SO lndt ne call luIii OStI tlit DdhSu
soil with a pillow, he is required to pay 40
cents an acre. If he plants orchards, vege-
tables, melons. tobacco, indigo or similar
crops he is charged $1.66 per acre. If he
plants cotton or Indian corn he is charged
81 16 per acre; grains of all kinds pay 50
cents an acre. except rice, which has to be
flooded several times year, and for that
reason costs $21O per acre, while sugar
cane, which needs more moisture than any
other crop in India. pays $3.50 per acre.
Several towns Of considerable size have al
ready grown up upon the Chenab canal.
The largest, called Lyallpur, is the head
quarters of the canal officials and civil au-
thorities and has a population of more than
10000.
Lessons of Experience Ignored.
While it is too late to change the policy
of this government in the management of
it's irrigation system, it is a pity that
Congress did not learn wisdom by study
ing the methods which have been SO sue
cessful elsewhere That is one point upon
which our government, from one end to
the other, is to be criticised. We do not
and will not profit from the experience of
other nations. We plunge ahead repeat
ing the mistakes that have been made
over and over again elsewhere, and do
not even read the books that treat of the
problems we have to deal with. This is
particularly true in the experiments of
administration that are now going on in
the Philippines, Hawaii and Porto Rico
The officials in those countries are not
only without experience, but they are
without knowledge. They have never been
encouraged, or even permitted. to visit
other colonies where the same d1fficultles
they are struggling with have been met
and overcome generation after genera.
tion. 1t should be made condition of
employment in our insular service that
every official intrusted with responsible
ity should visit the Malay Federation In
dia Egypt, Java and other colonies
where similar conditions exist; but they
would not be permitted to do so by Con-
gress for fear it would cost little
money. 1t is not their fault, but their
misfortune. and it is a wonder that they
make as few mistakes as they do.