INDEBTEDNESS OF THE LAND-HOLDING CLASSES. 13 



amount of lies and false promises he can get something more from 

 another. When he has two creditors there is a chance of their fight- 

 ing with each other, and that during the fray he may be able to snatch 

 a portion of the spoil from both." 



Extent and nature of indebtedness. 



In the foregoing pages we have endeavoured to show that the 



Resume of previous normal condition of the bulk of the ryots in the 



chapters. disturbed districts is one of indebtedness ; that, 



owing to causes, some natural and others the result of our adrninis- 



O ' 



tration or of internal circumstances, this indebtedness had grown to an 

 extreme point during the 20 years preceding the riots; that many 

 years ago elements of danger to the public peace were detected in 

 the temper of the ryot smarting under the consequence of his debts ; 

 lastly, that these consequences, averted for some time by the transient 

 prosperity of the American War period, returned with multiplied 

 force during the six years preceding the riots. 



The extent of serious embarrassment through debt can be ascer- 

 Analysis of embar- tained with fair accuracy from the enquiries of 

 rassment in 12 villages. t | ie Commission. It appears that about one- 

 third of the occupants of Government land are embarrassed with debt, 

 that their debts average about eighteen times their assessment, and 

 that nearly two-thirds of the debt is secured by mortgage of land. 

 For 12 villages the results in figures are as follows : 



Total number of Government occupants ... ... 1,876 



Number of Do Do embarrassed ... ... 523 



Assessment payable on their holdings ... ... Rs. 10,603 



Amount of debts on personal security ... ... 1,18,009 



Do on mortgage of land ... ,, 70,233 



The proportion of Malas indebted to the total number of khatas 

 in these villages is 28 per cent. The total debt is more than eighteen 

 times the assessment. Of the occupants in embarrassed circumstances, 

 about two-thirds hold land of less than Rs. 20 assessment. These 

 figures entirely confirm the opinions stated to the Commission on the 

 subject by the local officers, and tally in great measure with the 

 results of investigations into indebtedness in other districts. It must 

 be noted that the amount of his assessment is not an absolute 

 standard of a ryot's solvency. Many cultivate the lands of 



