TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 211 



to about £o5,227,495 per annum, be feiily set off against tbe imports, which 

 amount to about £31,260,561, and the value of the labour required to convert 

 the produce of the laud into food and clothing and convey them to the market? 



In this expenditure of £365,000,000 per annum, the author has estimated that 

 200,000,000 of the population expend only ^d. per day per person. 



Of the 994,130,560 acres belonging to the British states, we cannot estimato 

 that there are less than 250,000,000 of acres under cultivation, or say about one 

 fourth of the whole area. 



This may be considered an under-estimate, as Sir George Campbell considers 

 there is a much larger area of laud under cultivation than this. 



Owing to the depressed condition of the Indian agi-icultural labourers (they 

 being only half-fed and clothed), the land is nearly everywhere imperfectly culti- 

 vated. If the condition of the agricultural labourer was improved, we may safely 

 estimate that the value of the produce of the land oil" the same cultivated area 

 wotild be increased at least 25 per cent. 



The revenue from the land is derived by certain assessment charges of so much per 

 acre, which to all intents and purposes is simply an ordinary rent charge ; but 

 owing to the different and varied forms of land-tenure throughout India created or 

 endorsed by the Imperial Government, the rent-charges vary considerably and 

 are based upon no uniform principle. 



In addition to tlie rent-charge there is a special charge made per acre for those 

 lands which are directly or indirectly benefited by irrigation, and which charges 

 enable the Government to realize a profit (according to Lord G. Hamilton) of about 

 5 per cent, upon all the large sums which have been expended upon irrigation works. 



From the imperfect state of land registration, a large area of cultivated land pro- 

 bably escapes altogether paying any rent to the imperial revenue. 



It seems just and expedient that the revenues of India should be made depen- 

 dent and should be realized on the produce of the land, and not from the land 

 itself. 



The revenue would thus increase as the prosperity and wealth of the people 

 advanced, and there would exist a powerful stimulant to develop and ameliorate 

 the condition of the millions of her people. 



Simultaneous!}' with the introduction of raising the revenue from the produce 

 cf the land, the duties upon salt and opiimi should be abolished. 



If the revenue from the land was to be raised by a charge of one tenth on the 

 value of the produce, which is the ancient Oriental standard of rent, this value 

 being estimated, as above, at £365,000,000, the amoimt of this revenue would be 

 about £36,500,000, and would increase annually as the resources of India were iu- 

 creased in value by the extension of railways and spread of ii-rigation works, and 

 by the improved pm'chasing power of the people. 



This revenue would show an excess of £16,500,000 per annum over the normal 

 expenditiu'e of a financial year like that ending March 1873 ; but this surplus would 

 have to be rediiced by £12,528,388, on account of the abolition of the salt and 

 opium taxes, leaving still a surplus of about £4,000,000, which surplus would be 

 an annually increasing one on account of the progressive value of the land revenues. 



Let us assume that only two thii'ds of the 1,558,254 square miles would be pro- 

 vided with railways. 



This area, divided by 20, wiU give us about 50,000 miles of railways that would 

 be ultimately wanted in order to give India about half the railway accommodation 

 that Ireland has, or about 42,000 miles woidd have to be constructed in addition 

 to those already finished and in course of construction dming, say, the next 25 

 years. 



If these 42,000 miles of railway are made, as they can be, for about £6000 per 

 mile, imder conditions to be hereafter specified, the total cost of these 42,000 miles 

 would be £252,000,000, which added to the £100,000,000 approximately already 

 expended, gives £352,000,000 as the ultimate capital to be invested in Indian rail- 

 ways, an amount equal to about the value of one year's produce of the land 

 assuming that the produce is only £305,000,000 ; but it must be remembered that 

 of the £252,000,000 to be expended, about £120,000,000 would be expended in 

 England in purchase of rails, railway-plant, roUing-stock, freight, and profits. 



