266 



ledge of the condition of the ryots in the Bombay Presidency, 

 but as far as the Madras Presidency is concerned I have no 

 doubt that there is no necessity for taking such a desponding 

 view. That a very large class of ryots, especially in the 

 Ceded districts which are subject to frequent droughts, are 

 still in a very low economic condition, does not admit of 

 doubt, but as already pointed out their condition is steadily, 

 if slowly, improving. Lands which had little or no value 

 before have acquired value, and the ryots having better secu- 

 rity to offer for the repayment of advances made to them 

 are able to obtain the advances on easier terms than before. 

 The extension of communications, chiefly railways, has miti- 

 gated the violent fluctuations in prices which used to occur, 

 and thus to some extent, has relieved the poorer ryots from 

 the necessity of placing themselves entirely in the hands of 

 sowkars and the richer ryots in regard to the disposal of 

 their produce. What has to be done in this presidency for 

 the amelioration of the condition of the ryots is, therefore, 

 not to reverse the policy which has been pursued for the last 

 fifty years, and which, so far as it has gone, has been fruitful 

 of good results, but to adopt such administrative measures 

 as will, without increasing the dependence of the ryots on 

 Government, afford to them facilities for exerting them- 

 selves to better their condition and stimulate a spirit of 

 self-help and enterprize among them. 



94. I will now mention some of the measures which can 

 with advantage be adopted by Govern- 



Practicable measures. . .,, 9 ^ ,-n <• .it • • i 



ment with a view to still turther dimmish 

 the necessity for the dependence of the poorer ryots on 

 money-lenders. One of these is the reform of the kistbundy 

 by fixing the time for the payment of instalments of land 

 revenue due to Government in such a manner that the ryots 

 may not be put to the necessity of selling their produce 

 prematurely. A great deal has already been done in this 

 direction during the last five years, but there is still con- 

 siderable room for further improvement. Under the old 

 native system, as the land itself had in most places little or 



that it is neither more nor less than a system nnder which the fertile island of Java 

 famed for its spices is worked as a farm for the benefit of the Dutch Home treasury by 

 means of compulsory servile labour. The Dutch do not make even a pretence of 

 acknowledging their obligation to educate the Javanese and to raise them in the scale 

 of civilization. They used to make an enormous profit from the colony which was 

 obtained mostly by treating all the lands as the property of the State and the tenants 

 as serfs liable to render compulsory service to the Dutch Government. Latterly the 

 Government, under pressure of public opinion, has been obliged to adopt a more 

 liberal policy towards the natives, with the result that the enormous gains formerly 

 made have disappeared, and State industries, which paid under a system of compulsory 

 labour, were found to be losing concerns when carried on under a sysem of free labour 

 Xbis shows clearly how the profits under the former system were derived. 



