VOLUME OF WOKK 45 



revenue work of the district magistrate and his assistants. 

 Even in this case, however, the volume of work to be dealt 

 with by these rent courts would be enormous under the con- 

 ditions prevailing in these Provinces, and it may \sell bo 

 doubted whether this work is not more difficult than any 

 judicial work at present extensively practised. The present 

 procedure in enhancement of occupancy rentals in the Agra 

 Province is hardly a fair comparison, because of the very 

 limited grounds on which enhancements are allowed by 

 law, and are in practice granted. In any case, it appears to 

 me that the addition of an enormous number of rent cases 

 to the already abundant litigation which conditions neces- 

 sitate, or the Indian cultivator enjoys, would be a social 

 and political disaster. It would need to be justified by the 

 prospect of an enormous economic gain ; and this, as I have 

 already pointed out. is illusory. It may be said in fact that 

 such a system would indefinitely postpone any real progress 

 in agriculture, for the energies and interest of the cultivators 

 would be centred in rent cases rather than in learning to 

 improve their cultivation. 



