ecxviu 



beggary. During the past 4 or 5 years they have been gradually 

 recovering their lost position. 



Dry land was then sold at Es. 50 to 100 per acre ; now the price of 

 wet land is Rs. 30 to 40 for lands irrigated by the Hagari, and E,s. 100 

 to 150 for lands irrigated by the Tungabhadra. 



This year (1890) the cotton and cholum crops having been excep- 

 tionally favorable and the cotton crops having ripened simultaneously 

 in almost every place, the laboring classes have benefited thereby to an 

 enormous extent. The wages which were paid were three times as 

 high as those ordinarily paid. This was the only year in which it was 

 known that the laborers were not found to be enough in number to 

 cope with the work. The extension of cultivation and the railways 

 running through the district have enhanced wages cent, per cent, as 

 compared with ordinary times before the current year. Wages are low 

 as compared with what they were before the famine. 



The condition of the agricultural classes as a whole has not 

 generally improved in the same way as that of laboring classes owing 

 to deficient rainfall in the Bellary district, which is due to the denuda- 

 tion of forests ; with the exception of the agricultural classes, the 

 commercial and artisan classes are better off than they were before. 

 The agricultural classes have to pay higher wages to coolies. 



The increase in the number of cotton presses and mills in the 

 surrounding districts has been the cause of giving technical knowledge 

 to lots of males and females, who are able to earn exceptionally high 

 wages, i.e., '10 to 15 rupees per man per month and 6 to 10 rupees 

 per woman, who do work on the piece-work system. The position 

 of the artisan class is also very much improved, such as masons, stone- 

 dressers, carpenters and blacksmiths, who are .required in large 

 numbers to meet the demand from the factories and the railways. In 

 their case also the wages have gone up quite 50 per cent., if not more. 

 The ordinai'y wages for masons, carpenters and blacksmiths used 

 to be 8 annas, but it is now over 12 annas according to capacity and 

 qualifications. 



The prosperity of the people in general is shown by the large 

 demand there is for both imported and locally-manufactured goods. 

 The starting of the mills in India has been the cause of cheapening the 

 prices of piece-goods and yarn by at least 30 per cent, as compared 

 with what it was about 10 years ago. 



Imported cloth goods now chiefly consist of the finer varieties, not 

 the coarser kind generally used by the people. 



The weaving industry is going down. The higher classes use the 

 finer varieties of imported cloth, and the lower classes prefer locally- 

 manufactured mill cloth. 



In the Bellary Spinning and Weaving Mill, there are 100 looms, 

 but only 50 are being now worked. In course of time the whole 

 number will be utilized. The whole number will produce on an 

 average 1,000 lb. of manufactured cloth every day. The production 

 of yarn will be about 4,000 lb. daily, of which 1,000 lb. will be made 

 into cloth if all the looms are worked. 



