INDEBTEDNESS OF THE LAND-HOLDING CLASSES. 



of the principles of the " Joint Report," which is the basis of the 

 Bombay Revenue system, the advantages of elasticity in the 

 collection of the land tax did not escape notice. But, nevertheless, 

 a leading principle of the Revenue system, as finally established, was 

 that, in view of the moderation of the assessment, sufficient elasticity 

 was given by making the assessment of each ' field ' separate, and 

 by giving the registered occupant complete power of transfer or 

 relinquishment over his ' field/ 



330. A strong tenure of this sort held at a low assessment was a 

 very valuable property ; and it is easy to see now that it would have 

 been wise to have kept a vigilant watch over the use which an ignorant 

 and unthrifty peasantry was making of it. But the authors of the 

 system held that the best way "to excite the cultivator to indepen- 

 dence and to create agricultural capital" was a to exempt him as 

 much as possible from the pupilage to, and surveillance of, Government 

 officers." There was, it was said, "an obvious advantage to get land 

 out of the hands of the cultivators unable to pay their way and to 

 transfer it to cultivators with more capital."* As the customs and 

 native revenue systems of India are adverse to land transfers, it is 

 therefore all the more necessary to adopt measures for giving them 

 effect." Accordingly it was decided that there should be no inter- 

 ference by Government officers with the people, and that no enquiries 

 should be made regarding the financial condition of the cultivators. 



331. Thus things were left to take their own course; and the 

 result was, as invariably happens when an ignorant and improvident 

 peasantry can dispose, without restriction, of valuable rights in land 

 that the cultivators sank deeper into debt, and their property began to 

 pass out of their hands. It must be admitted that the conditions on 

 which, under the Revenue System, the cultivators held their lands 

 helped to bring this result about. The rigidity of the revenue system 

 forced them into debt, while the valuable property which they held 

 made it easy to borrow. 



332. This is the state of things to-day, and while it remains 

 unaltered, indebtedness in the Bombay Presidency must continue and 

 increase. 



333. We desire to guard ourselves against the supposition that 

 we impute want of care or solicitude for the people's interest to the 

 authors of the Bombay revenue system. The authors of that system 

 were men of ability, humanity, and zeal for the public good, and 





