APPENDIX X. 



Letter no. 259-L of the Qth August, 1915, from the Chief Secretary 

 to Government, United Provinces, to the Director of Land 

 Records and Agriculture, United Provinces. 



I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 

 no. 1054/V 938A., dated the 26th April, 1915, with which you for- 

 warded a copy of the report by Messrs. Fremantle and Courthope 

 on the reclamation of ravine lands. The report, with the omission 

 of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, which are of no public interest, will be 

 published in the Gazette. 



2. With regard to the suggestion contained in your letter that 

 District Boards might be empowered to acquire land with a view to 

 reclaiming it, I aja to say that the Lieutenant- Governor is of 

 opinion that at present the District Boards have their hands full, 

 and their finances fully occupied, with roads and education and that 

 the day has not yet come when they can be employed on the work 

 of general agricultural development. 



3. The immediate action to be taken on the report will be as 

 follows : 



(i) The Commissioner of Jhansi is being asked to furnish 

 Government with his views on the specific proposals as 

 to the blocks of land in which work may be undertaken. 



(ii) The Conservator, Eastern Circle, is being asked to in- 

 struct the officer in charge of the Afforestation division 

 to draw up a note showing how reclamation work can 

 be carried on by famine labour. It is proposed to 

 incorporate this note in the Famine Code. 



(iii) Paragraphs 27-29 of the report contain certain useful 

 suggestions as co the training of establishment for the 

 work of reclamation. I am to ask that you will discuss 

 these with the Conservator, Eastern Circle. 



4. The report raises the whole question of the agency that 

 should be employed iii work of this nature. The Lieutenant- 

 Governor is of opinion that it is a waste of power to use expert 

 officers of the Forest department in ravine reclamation. The pri- 

 mary object of the reclamation scheme is the increase of agricul- 

 tural efficiency and wealth, rather than forestry ; and for this 

 reason His Honour is inclined to the opinion that all the experi- 

 ments which are being carried out at present in the ravine tracts 

 should, in course of time, be undertaken by the Agricultural depart- 

 ment in preference to the Forest department. This course becomes 



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