4 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



gratis to Tea cultivators, the policy would have been a wise 

 one. To do what they did was scarcely acting up to their 

 professed wish ' to develop the resources of the country.' 



Since the above was written new rules have been pub- 

 lished for the sale of waste lands. The objectionable auction 

 system is continued, and the upset price is much enhanced, as 

 follows : 



Schedule of Rates of Upset Prices. 



Upset price 

 per acre. 



Districts of the Assam Division . Rs. 8 



Districts of Cachar and Sylhet . . .... 8 



Districts of the Chittagong Division . . 6 



Districts of the Chota Nagpore Division . 5 



The Soonderbuns . . ... , 5 



All other Districts . . , ..> ..:.. , 10 



It is not likely that Government will sell much land at 

 such exorbitant rates. 1 



Security of title, it is generally thought, is one of the 

 advantages of buying land from the State ; but I grieve to 

 state my experience is that the reverse is the case, and will 

 so remain until the following is done : 



First. The Government should learn what is and what is 

 not theirs to sell. Such an absurdity, then, as Government 

 ascertaining years after the auction that they had sold lands 

 they had no right to sell, could not be. 



Secondly. That before land is sold it be properly surveyed 

 and demarcated ; and what might so easily have been done, 

 and which alone would have compensated for much of bad 

 procedure in other respects, that the simple and obvious plan 

 before the sale, of sending a European official to show the 

 neighbouring villagers and intending purchasers the bound- 

 aries of the land to be sold, be resorted to. 



1 Since the Second Edition went to press further Rules for Waste Lands have 

 been enacted. Generally speaking they are only now leased to applicants. 



