1HE IRRIGATION AGE. 



made for it. If a single large canal be considered most advisable in- 

 stead of two or more canals, this canal will be, by far, the largest ir- 

 rigation canal in the world. At present, the Chanab Canal holds this 

 position. 



But here, much more than in the case of the Jhelam Canal, the 

 question of the ownership of the land to be irrigated, comes in, and 

 forms the cru.r of the project. A very large proportion of it belongs 

 to the village inhabitants of the country, made over to them many 

 years ago at the settlement of the country, in the same manner as the 

 land of the Jhelam Canal tract. As already explained, a canal is not 

 likely to be remunerative in such tracts, which need colonizing, unless 

 the ownership of most of the laud is in the hands of the goverment; 

 and it has lately been notified to the people that no canal will be be- 

 gun until most of the waste land, now useless to them, is given back 

 to the government. This track receives hardly any rain; the land 

 produces but little grass for cattle, and is practically valueless to the 

 people, except in patches here and there of lower depressions, and 

 where there is a well, in some cases. The government therefore, a 

 few years ago, endeavored to persuade them to relinquish their own- 

 ership in most of the land, as being far more in area than they had 

 any need for, or could utilize; but without success, as they got wind of 

 the proposals to make a canal in their district, and therefore naturally 

 wished to hold on to laud, which would become valuable when irriga- 

 tion was made available. They believed that government would ulti- 

 mately construct the canal for the land, in any case, and therefore of 

 course refused to part with any of their land. So government has 

 had to put its foot down firmly, and has clearly notified to the people, 

 that it will not think of constructing any canal at all until the land 

 asked for has been given up. There is no injustice or real hardship 

 to the people, involved in this procedure; they will be allowed to keep 

 as much land as they now need for the purposes of their present cul- 

 t ivation, and pasture; as well as a certain proportion of the waste land, 

 Probably about one quarter of the whole area will be left-to them, 

 and about three quarters become the property of government, who 

 will then be put in a position to undertake the construction of a canal 

 or canals with a reasonable prospect of its expenditure being remun 

 erative, and the irrigation project a success commercially. The vil- 

 lage owners also will be largely benefite'd by the great rise in the 

 value of the land that will still belong to them; and by the change for 

 the better in their prospects, from their present precarious state, 

 with an uncertain and scanty rainfall, to one of assured prosperity 

 and the certainty of irrigation. It now remains to be seen if they will 

 respond to the invitation, and accept the terms offered ; for until they 

 do, nothing can or will be done to give irrigation to their land. To 



