﻿254 
  PROCEEUTMGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOUKTJI 
  F.NTOiMOLOGTCAI, 
  MEETING 
  

  

  in 
  taking 
  active 
  and 
  permanent 
  steps 
  to 
  reorganize 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  

   experiences 
  gained 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  But 
  if 
  nothing 
  is 
  done 
  and 
  

   the 
  occasion 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  slip 
  by, 
  the 
  industry 
  is 
  expected 
  to 
  receive 
  

   a 
  set-back. 
  What 
  the 
  effect 
  will 
  be, 
  the 
  future 
  alone 
  would 
  show. 
  

   But 
  to 
  my 
  mind 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  lethargic 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  growers 
  

   and 
  manufacturers 
  is 
  bound 
  to 
  redound 
  prejudicially 
  on 
  the 
  well 
  being 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  ancient 
  and 
  most 
  important 
  industry 
  which 
  is 
  mostly 
  

   cottage 
  and 
  rural 
  in 
  its 
  nature 
  and 
  which 
  provides 
  means 
  of 
  livelihood 
  

   to 
  millions 
  of 
  the 
  country's 
  poor 
  and 
  ignorant, 
  who 
  inhabit 
  the 
  out- 
  

   skirts 
  of 
  forest 
  or 
  are 
  denizens 
  of 
  extremely 
  backward 
  tracts 
  where 
  

   the 
  present 
  influences 
  seldom, 
  if 
  ever, 
  penetrate. 
  The 
  truth 
  of 
  this 
  

   casual 
  remark 
  will 
  be 
  apparent 
  from 
  a 
  case 
  I 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  remotest 
  

   corner 
  of 
  the 
  Chhota 
  Nagpur 
  Plateau. 
  Years 
  before 
  the 
  present 
  boom 
  

   in 
  prices 
  took 
  place 
  the 
  cultivator 
  used 
  to 
  get 
  Rs. 
  5 
  per 
  maund 
  of 
  stick- 
  

   lac 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  market 
  quotation 
  for 
  T. 
  N. 
  was 
  

   between 
  Es. 
  30-35 
  per 
  maund. 
  The 
  year 
  I 
  visited 
  the 
  locality, 
  T. 
  N. 
  

   was 
  quoted 
  in 
  the 
  Calcutta 
  market 
  at 
  Rs. 
  235 
  a 
  maund, 
  but 
  the 
  poor 
  

   ignorant 
  cultivator 
  was 
  paid 
  only 
  Rs. 
  5 
  a 
  maund 
  of 
  52 
  seers. 
  Some 
  

   time 
  after, 
  when 
  the 
  same 
  cultivator 
  chanced 
  to 
  visit 
  a 
  relative 
  of 
  his 
  

   in 
  the 
  suburbs 
  of 
  a 
  Hat, 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  something 
  extraordinary 
  

   was 
  happening 
  in 
  the 
  shellac 
  market 
  and 
  decided 
  to 
  obtain 
  better 
  terms 
  

   from 
  the 
  local 
  Paikar 
  when 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  him 
  next 
  for 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  his 
  pro- 
  

   duce. 
  I 
  was 
  subsequently 
  informed 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  Paikar 
  did 
  turn 
  

   up, 
  the 
  cultivator 
  demanded 
  better 
  terms 
  and 
  was 
  given 
  an, 
  increase 
  

   of 
  rupee 
  one 
  over 
  what 
  he 
  was 
  paid 
  before. 
  In 
  fact 
  the 
  cultivator 
  should 
  

   have 
  got 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  Rs. 
  80 
  a 
  maund 
  of 
  82 
  lbs. 
  Such 
  and 
  other 
  causes 
  

   militate 
  against 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  cultivation 
  and 
  are 
  the 
  causes 
  which 
  

   make 
  the 
  shellac 
  trade 
  and 
  the 
  market 
  so 
  very 
  uncertain 
  when 
  few 
  

   care 
  to 
  gamble 
  away 
  their 
  savings 
  and 
  their 
  fortunes. 
  Had 
  the 
  culti- 
  

   vator 
  been 
  paid 
  Rs. 
  80 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  least 
  Rs. 
  50 
  a 
  maund, 
  he 
  would 
  have 
  

   got 
  an 
  additional 
  impetus 
  to 
  increase 
  his 
  cultivation 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  

   of 
  such 
  accumulated 
  extensions 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  that 
  considerable 
  

   large 
  quantities 
  of 
  the 
  crude 
  stuff 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  market 
  

   for 
  sale. 
  But 
  the 
  things, 
  as 
  is 
  usually 
  the 
  case, 
  move 
  very 
  slowly 
  and 
  

   nothing 
  tangible 
  seems 
  to 
  result 
  from 
  the 
  past 
  years 
  of 
  inflated 
  prices. 
  

   The 
  compiler 
  of 
  the 
  District 
  Gazetteer, 
  Palamau, 
  on 
  pages 
  116-117, 
  

   remarks 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  vein 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  me 
  above. 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Recently 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  boom 
  in 
  lac, 
  which 
  has 
  done 
  

  

  much 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  old 
  Zemindar 
  families, 
  their 
  income 
  being 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases 
  more 
  than 
  doubled. 
  Incidentally 
  the 
  rQjjfult 
  has 
  been 
  that 
  land- 
  

   lords 
  now 
  claim 
  that 
  lac 
  trees, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  planted 
  trees 
  and 
  trees 
  on 
  

   household 
  land, 
  are 
  their 
  property, 
  the 
  claim 
  being 
  apparently 
  based 
  

  

  