In British India. 141 



with the 30 year leases, for though the improvements 

 effected by the occupier may not be assessed, the rise 

 of rent on general grounds may be too high, so high as 

 to nullify the fruits of the improvements, and instances 

 have occurred where the assessment has been subse- 

 quently reduced. The proceedings of the government 

 of the North-West Provinces and Oude afford clear 

 evidence on this point, and it is shown that in the per- 

 manently settled districts there has been an immense 

 progress in irrigation carried out by private enterprise, 

 evidently in consequence of the certainty of the con- 

 ditions as to taxation, and to the unearned increment 

 being left to the proprietor instead of being absorbed 

 by the State. The results of this have been conclusively 

 shown with reference to famines, and in the proceedings 

 of the government of the North- West Provinces and 

 Oude (now the United Provinces), where the condition 

 of things in the permanently settled districts has been 

 contrasted with that in the temporarily settled, or 30 

 year leasehold districts — in other words, land-nationalised 

 districts. It is stated that : — " Throughout the whole 

 tract (i.e., of the permanently settled districts) there 

 have been occasional periods of agricultural distress, 

 but it has always been in a mild form, and for a century 

 famines such as have occurred in other parts of India 

 have been unknown." The nationalisation of the land, 

 then, has retarded private enterprise, and it will always 

 do so however good the plans of the Government may 

 be theoretically, and State meddling with land here, 

 such as proposed by would-be land legislators, is sure to 

 have similar evil effects. As one practical illustration 

 is worth a score of general statements, I may quote the 

 following letter written by me to my land agent, when 

 the landlords of Ireland were deprived of their original 

 rights by the Act of 1881. 

 " Dear Mr. Morison, 



" I have received your letter of October 4th, forwarding 

 five letters from the occupiers of my King's County Estate, re- 



