241 



lands cannot be set aside. The ryot is always indebted to 



the Zemindar Money is recovered according to 



his produce ; he is always fettered." The report, printed as 

 appendix VI. -B. (4), of Mr. Cotton who was employed as a 

 relief officer during the famine of 1876 shows the miserable 

 condition of the ryots in the Kalahasti Zemindari. In the 

 Southern districts the condition of the Zemindari ryots is not, 

 as already observed, so bad as in the Northern districts. 

 Nevertheless even here, it seems to be the case that Zemin- 

 dari ryots are worse off than Government ryots, taking tracts 

 of similar climatic conditions for comparison. As regards 

 the Ramnad Zemindari, Mr. 'Rajaram Rao, who was for 

 several years the manager of the Zemindari, states that the 

 condition of the ryots in this estate is not as good as that 

 of the Government ryots and that this is due partly to 

 natural disadvantages and partly to the evils incidental 

 to the' system of sharing the crop which is in force. He 

 remarks, " the evils of ' Waraput ' or sharing system are 

 too obvious to need comment. Under this system, a ryot, 

 with whatever good and efficient arrangements made, is 

 necessarily left at the mercy of the village and taluk officials 

 for getting his crop home. He is not at liberty to reap his 

 crops, harvest them and take his produce of his own accord, 

 but must obtain the permission of the estate officials for every 



one of those purposes Attention was not paid 



to the proper supervision of harvest, &c., and to the punctual 

 collection of rents. The result was that the ryots contracted 

 a habit of dishonesty and unpunctuality in their dealings and 

 the officers were habituated to corruption and foul play." ^"^ 

 There are, of course, estates like Ettiyapuram in which the 

 condition of the ryots is nearly as good as in the Govern- 

 ment taluks, but this is mostly due to the fact of these estates 

 having had the benefit of several years of careful adminis- 

 tration by the Court of Wards during the minority of the 

 owners. The Ettiyapuram estate was surveyed, and money 

 assessment was introduced in lieu of the sharing system to 

 the great advantage of both the Zemindar and the ryots. 



88. An amendment of the law regulating the relations 



Suggestions as to betwocn Zomiudars and tenants is there- 

 amendment of the law fore Urgently necessary to prevent further 



of landlord and tenant. -^j^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^,^ ^-^j^^g^ ^^^ ^ l^-jj ^^g^^ 



on the lines of the recent legislation in Bengal is now under 

 the consideration of Government. I have mentioned in a 



. « — — - 



^"s For a graphic description of the evils of the sharing system by Mr. A. Seshayya 

 Sastriar, C.S,I., De>Fan of Pudnkota, see appendix VI.-B. (5). 



31 



