289 



IV. — Absence of Diversity of Occupations and Necessity 

 FOE encouraging General and Technical Education. 



101. The next group of questions has reference to the 

 necessity for providing sufficient safe- 

 with%^SLroTt' guards to prevent the increase of popula. 

 population recapitn- tiou pressing on the land to such an extent 

 ^**^*^' as to cause a deterioration in the standard 



of living of the masses. The principal dangers of the present 

 economic position in this respect have been described to be (1) 

 the absence of diversity of occupations and the crowding of 

 the population on a single resource, viz., agriculture ; (2) the 

 necessity, as population increases, for bringing under cultiva- 

 tion the poorer soils which are peculiarly liable to the effects 

 of droughts and yield a very precarious subsistence to the 

 cultivators ; (3) the large exports of agricultural produce to 

 foreign countries tending to impoverish the soil and diminish 

 its yield ; and (4) the lack of a spirit of enterprise, of tech- 

 nical knowledge, and of means among the agricultural classes 

 to repair the waste caused by the export of agricultural pro- 

 duce, by the adoption of improved methods of cultivation, or 

 by opening out new paths of industry with the aid of wealth 

 obtained in return for the produce exported. 



I have in the last section examined the actual position 

 as regards the pressure of population on the means of sub- 

 sistence. The conclusions arrived at may be here briefly 

 recapitulated. During the last forty years there has been great 

 increase of production owing to (1) the extension of the area 

 of cultivation of food-crops; (2) the extension of the area 

 irrigated by large works constructed by Government, and by 

 small works, such as wells, constructed by the cultivators 

 at their own expense; (S) the extension of the area grown 

 with valuable commercial crops ; and (4) improvement in the 

 methods of cultivation in places where there is a fairly con- 

 stant remunerative market for the produce grown. Of this 

 increase of production a very large portion has been absorbed 

 in the mcrease of population which has taken place, and the 

 remainder in improving the standard of living of all classes. 

 The improvement that has taken place among the higher and 

 middle classes is evidenced by the higher and more costly 

 style of living which has undoubtedly come into vogue among 

 these classes. It is, however, the case of the landless labour- 

 ing classes that is always one for anxiety whenever there is 

 a large increase in population ; and, as regards these classes, 

 it has beeil shown that their condition has not in any way 

 deteriorated, but on the contrary has to some extent improved. 



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