245 



it should be ruled that not more than three years' rent shall be 

 recovered by the sale of the ryot's interest in the land. As 

 regards " private lands " the Zemindar is to have full liberty 

 to deal with them as he likes. It seems to me that provisions 

 of the kind above referred to will, without injuring the rights 

 of the Zemindars, prevent, at all events, further encroachments 

 on the rights of the ryots in the future. These provisions 

 are based on principles recognized by the common law of the 

 country and they do not ignore existing facts and conditions. 

 The present unsatisfactory state of the law is injurious in some 

 cases both to the Zemindars and tenants ; and ^°*^ every day's 

 delay must add greatly to the difficulty of dealing with the 

 question. This is especially the case in the Northern districts 

 where lands have within the last two or three years greatly 

 increased in value by the opening of the Hyderabad Railway ; 

 and when the East Coast Railway is completed the value of 

 lands is likely to increase still further. If steps are not taken 

 betimes to secure a share of this increase of value for the 

 improvement of the condition of the Zemindari ryots, the 

 growth of vested interests will make it difficult or impossible 

 to do this in the future. Another measure which would 

 effectually protect the rights of the ryots without injuring 

 those of the Zemindars is the survey of Zemindaries. This 

 should be encouraged as much as possible, and the survey 

 should be carried out in all estates under the charore of the 

 Court of Wards. The Court of Wards now naturally hesi- 

 tate to carry out the survey in the Zemindari estates in the 

 Northern districts, as the rights of the ryots are still unde- 

 fined. When the new law is passed, this will no longer be 

 the case. 



'89. There is also for consideration the question of pro- 

 ^ . , ^. tecting; by leo^islation larg-e Zemindari 



Legislation to arrest *=" . "',-,■ i-. . -, 9 t 



the rapid dismember- cstatcs m this rresidency trom dismem- 

 d'arfestlter"'' ^^°"'" ferment. Out of a total number of 849 

 permanently settled estates covering an 

 area of 27 J million acres, there are 135 estates covering an 

 area of 15^ million acres, which are supposed to be held 

 under the law of primogeniture and to be impartible. Some 

 years ago it was believed that the holders of these estates 

 had only a life interest in them, and that they could not alien- 

 ate or encumber the properties so as to have effect beyond 



i"6 As regards the necessity for legislative interference to regulate the relations 

 between landlords and tenants in view of the rapid changes that are taking place in the 

 economic concVtion of the country — vide Extract from a speech of Mr. Ilbert on the 

 Bengal Tenancy Bill before the Legislative' Council of India in 188G (appendix VI.- 

 B (10)). 



