The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-16

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lection, so that by a system OF combined
efforts. for which the Calcutta Government
and native rulers and private purses can
all claim equal shares of credit, the pre-
vention of famine and its pslliation are
to-day far more nearly attainable than they
were ten years ago. He testifestiat when
one has witnessed the heroic e1ertions
made by Indian civil servants to cope with
the lamentablc and reourrent distress and
the princely generosity exhibited by Ma
harajas and merchants one would be in
clined TO think that such chivalry belonged
TO an earlier age. Moreover, when a Brit
ish traveller has seen 1t he feels compelled
ID ask the awkward question: Are we in
England doing our full duty by these mill
ions Of poor people for whose welfare we
are almost wholly ~responsibleH Ought
we not systematically. from the highest to
the lowest, to give OF our means for the
preservation OF those who may not be yet
upon the verge but already In the vor-
tex of starvation?' Our author for his
part is convinced that II. their pitiful plight
we're kept constantly before the British
public and amplifed in. It's pathetic de-
tails there can be 10 doubt as to the re-
Spouse that would be made to the appeal.
he Iepl6 dShlItl lldb II BlCoN iSiiS
fund were annually forthcoming a magical
effect would be produced on the destitute
masses of the An~glo-Indian population,
and that in time they would realize that
even in the DAYS of Akbar they could not
count upon such true liberality as that
which they would then see flowing, mot
from the Golfers Of a despot into the hands
Of a fortunate few. but from the sympa-
thetic heart of r united and democratic
people. to which Providence has Intrusted
the destinies Of India. into the home of
every anime stricken family in the land.
Our author tells VA that during the win
ter Of 10000 he visited several famine
smitten districts and was able TO form for
himself an estimate OF the distress and OF
the efforts made to relieve it. In the Punjab
and in central India he found consider
able apprehension, and already the cattle
we're dying of for want OF fodder. The
beasts. we are told, we're in such poo con-
dition that even the cattle thieves did not
consider them worth taking. In Raiputana
matters were much worse. and human
beings as well as cattle had to struggle to
live. The southern part OF Bikanir, the
whole of Jodhpur. much of Udaipur and
Jaipur and smaller native States were all
of them suffering as not even they had
suffered during the preceding five years.
Precautions. however, had been taken in
time, and when il was seen that the great
summer rains were TO he denied to them
the native rulers did not wait upon the
chance Iof a good winter rain. but fore
seeing the dearth that inevitably must
fall upon their people they opened famine
relief works as early as September. 1905.
Our author visited one of these famine
camps near Jaipur at the invitation Of the
Mahara jah. He encountered a striking
contrast, he tells us. when he passed from
the glittering streets of that wonderful
oity out into the sea of sand which is ever
threatening to overwhelm 1t. His road
Law first toward Amber. a palace fortress
which overlooks Jaipur oity. and on his
way he passed dry basins Of lakes, empty
| canals and the waterless beds of many
streams once life giving. The loneliness
OF his path was unenlivened by traffic Of
! any kind. save that of a few poor women
! @ carrying "a gots Of wood upon their heads
toward the CITY. where fuel was almost
! as scarce as food. From Amber he pro-
ceeded first on horseback and then by
ca incl into a stony tract Of hilly country
which in its best days could ba rely support
its population on a nominal living wage
and now presents not a sign Of animal OF
vegetable life. At length, bending around
a mass of rock the traveller came suddenly
upon the famine works, and lol the barren
earth was alive with human beings. The
! famine works consisted of a strong masonry
wall built across the plain from east 10
west in order to store the water in the
..,;Ea;, IoIsa thus TorpoaI md thanOa lon "a
il into carefully constructed channels for
the irrigation OF thousands Of arid acres
which might thus he rendered fit for Quilt.
walton.
Al the time Of our authors visit there
were about a thousand people in this camp.
and the numbers we're increasing daily,
He was surprised to see how few ofic ials
seemed needed to overlook the work. there
could not have been more than ak in all
Their chief occupation consisted in measur-
ing out the amount of the task which each
gang" must accomplish daily in order &c
earn a full wage and in enforcing sanitary
conditions. II seems tina in most Of the
native States the same wage is paid TO all
workers. men, women and children. The
wage varies with the price Of corn from
twopence to fourpenoe a day For this
: small sum "A man can DuN MS normal amount
Of food with native Condiments and fuel
while a woman and a child will have enough
margin to procure food for babies or other
dependents" who cannot work. We learn
that every sort Of precaution is taken tC
prevent pauperization, to which end the
task must be reasonably heavy and the
paw must I've regulated carefully by the
existing market wage. Experience has
shown that loafers and casuals are first Ia
die when famine is acute, and that regular
work with a suniCiency Of food is the best
guarantee Of health in a famine camp
In the native State of Jaipur alone there
we're al the time 4 score Of camps similar Il
that which our author visited and before
the spring Of 1909 they were doubled tC
maintain some 10000 people
The authors personal observations arr
recited in the hope that they may lent
urgency TO his plea that the people o
E.,g!and will actively associate themselves
annually with tho splendid relief work dom
in India. He tcstifes that the Indian publ,
servants. from the highest to the lowest