MORTALITY IN 1896-97 281 



prevalence in 1896-97 it was 36*30, giving an excess 

 of only 3*26 per mille. 



'An abstract of the monthly returns will show at a 

 glance how far the mortality of the famine period rose 

 above the ordinary death-rate in any month. 



Entire Province. 



The death-rate, it will be seen, rose on the whole 

 but little above the normal average in the famine 

 months up to July — that is, for ten months it was only 

 29*10 per mille in the provinces, or i*8o per mille above 

 the normal. But the death-rate increased in August 

 and September, the malarial season. Taking the 

 whole period of twelve months of famine prevalence, 

 the death-rate of 36*30 per mille may be compared 

 with the mortality during the same period in 1893-94, 

 when the provincial death-rate was 38*05 per mille. 



Thus it appears that in the course of the nineteenth 

 century two of the problems presented by famine have 

 been solved. Want of food has been overcome by im- 

 provement in the means of communication, and the 

 want of work has been met by providing temporary 

 employment on relief works at the expense of the 

 State. But there remains a third problem, which 

 statesmen and philanthropists are ambitious of solving, 

 and that is the absolute prevention of famine, or, to 



