DIVERSITY OF OCCUPATION 285 



nations, more or less exclusively agricultural. But 

 our contact with the world outside, and the freedom 

 of exchange which has resulted in consequence, have 

 produced one most undesirable result. They have 

 aggravated the situation by making us more than 

 ever dependent upon a single and precarious re- 

 source.' In 1893 Mr. Justice Ranade returned to the 

 same subject. 'About twenty -two years ago,' he 

 said, 'I had occasion to notice this collapse of 

 domestic industries, and the gradual rustication of 

 our chief occupations . . . and it was about this time 

 that a welcome change took place, whose effects are 

 now perceptibly visible. Things were as bad as 

 could be about 1870-75; since then the tide has 

 turned, and India has shown signs of a revival, which 

 marks its first step in the transition from a purely 

 agricultural into a partly manufacturing and trading 

 country.'* This is also the economic basis of the 

 Swadeshi movement, or movement for the encourage- 

 ment of indigenous manufactures. Thus it is evident 

 that there is a considerable body of opinion in favour 

 of the view that the true remedy for famine will be 

 found in the increase of diversity of occupation. It 

 may perhaps prevent disappointment in the future 

 if the exact scope of this remedy is examined a little 

 more closely. The effect of such a change in the 

 industrial organization of India would be, that irregu- 

 larity of employment would be more evenly distri- 

 buted. At present something like 30 to 40 per cent, 

 of the people are thrown out of work at the same time 

 by the failure of the rains ; during these hard times 

 they necessarily curtail their purchases as much as 

 possible, and the subsidiary industries which depend 

 upon the patronage of the agriculturists are deprived 

 of their normal markets. Were the people distributed 

 more evenly among a variety of industries, a smaller 



* ' Present State of Indian Manufactures.' Industrial Conference, 

 Poona, 1893. Reprinted in ' Essays on Indian Economics.' 



