01 



at ordinary prices. The report of the Cotton Committee of 

 1848 mentions that when grain was selling at from 6s. to Ss. a 

 quarter at Kandeish, the price at Poena was from 646-. to 70s, 

 a quarter. Mr. Nicholson in his 'Manual of the Coimbatore 

 District has so well described the revolution in trade effected 

 by the improvement of communications in that district that his 

 remarks may be usefully quoted here. He states: "From 

 various reports it is known that in 1800 there were practically 

 no roads, but merely tracks ; there was not a cart in the dis- 

 trict, and what traffic existed was carried on by pack bullocks, 

 and by ponies and by basket boats on the Cauvery. The result 

 was not only that all imported commodities were dear, but 

 export trade was insignificant, and only in valuable articles 

 such as ghee, spices and so forth. Grain could not be moved, 

 so that prices depended on local scarcity or abundance, with 

 the result that substantial ryots were no worse off in bad years 

 than in good, for storage was a necessity, so that deficient crops 

 were supplemented from the surplus of good years, which then 

 fetched very high prices ; while in good years, especially if 

 consecutive, the markets were glutted, prices fell heavily, and 

 the ryots who were compelled to sell in order to meet the 

 Government and other demands were ruined by their own 

 superabundance. This reproach remained for manj^ years, so 

 that average prices between 1849-53 were lower than at any 

 previous time, while in times of famine, as in 1824 and 1887, 

 the difference in prices between famine and non-famine districts 

 was very serious. There are now (1887) in the district above 

 1,500 miles of metalled or gravelled roads in good order, be- 

 sides numerous cross roads and village lanes and 147 miles of 

 railway — Madras and South Indian. The result of this im- 

 provement is an immense internal traffic between the various 

 trade centres, such as weekly markets and towns, and a consider- 

 able import and export trade in which thousands of carts take 

 part with railways. Every village has several and every town 

 hundreds of carts which are extensively built in many places. 

 The value of the rail-borne traffic has not been ascertained, 

 but one or two facts may be noted — (1) that in the late famine 

 grain was poured by thousands of tons, while the price of rice 

 at the height of famine differed from that at Tanjorc, whence 

 it was supplied by only about 3 lb. per rupee; (2) that private 

 trade has been so stimulated by the railway that at the least 

 hint of scarcity in any other district or province grain is at 

 once moved, e.g.., in the early months of 1884, scarcity seemed 

 imminent in Northern India, and the Coimbatore Eailway 

 Stations were crammed with grain en route northwards ; (3) that 



