'ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1908-1909' [‎97v] (56/132)

BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
5>9
[l9O8 -l909.
' Chap. II.
ADNINISTEA-
TION OF THE
LAND.
Working of Act VI
of 1901.
Assistance and
other suits.
landlord and tenant, which favours the latter by ensuring automatic remission in ^
and at the same time renders him less dependent upon savkdrs for advances. While h ot f ears >
a re-adjustment of relations seems to be in progress m many parts, ill-feeling only
itself in isolated instances during the year under review. In Ahmedabad, as in the nrev
year, friction existed over a question of tenure in certain mam villages, and in one reported
in Koldba strained relations resulted in a considerable area being left uncultivated,
renting is by no means a common complaint; while it is said to exist in the Ndsik
in Siitdra on the other hand it is rather the landlords who need protection from their ten"?
The tendency is most marked on the Konkan Coast, where geographical conditions tend +’
compress the population, but except in Kanara, the annual migration to Bombay affords c °
relief. In Sind the position of the “ haris ” is in many respects more favourable than thaH
the zamindars. Owing to the scarcity of tenants they are t:o a great extent their own mast? 0
and in Ldrkana and the Upper Sind Frontier the zamindars are powerless to insist on an
but the easiest and most wasteful methods of agriculture. Elsewhere, however, the situatin'^
is somewhat better, and it is found that tenants will not willingly relinquish good lands
landlords part with good tenants. The i( Jiafis often attain considerable wealth, even
well-supervised estates, and their relations with the zamindars derive stability from custom,
3. The area given upon the restricted tenure continues. to increase steadily, ^
popularity of the system depends upon the motives of the individual concerned; where Ian/
are wanted only to hypothecate at the first opportunity it is not acceptable, bat where
cultivation is the object there is as much willingness to take up land on this tenure as on
any other. The credit of the holders, in so far as it depends on land so held, is naturally small
but there is no evidence that agricultural operations have in any case been restricted by this
circumstance, and in Sind, where the tenure has made greater progress than in any other
division of the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. , the banias are becoming reconciled to giving advances on a share of
the crop. Not many instances of violation of the conditions came to light during the year
and the number would probably he fewer still if more use were made of the power of trans
ferring land with the Collectors sanction. During the year 61,169 acres were granted on thi>
tenure in Sind, where the total amounted to 485,409 acres; about half of each figure is
contributed by the Hyderabad District. In the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. the largest areas so granted
during the year were in West Khandesh (17,928 acres) and N&sik (11,021 acres), and the
largest totals at the end of the year were in West Khandesh (263,499 acres), the Panch
Mahdls (112,818 acres), Ahmtdabad (109,363 acres) and Kaira (82,534 acres).
4. There was some increase in the number of rent suits in most districts, chiefly due to
the hope of obtaining decrees against tbe improved prospects of the current yearns crop. The
only noticeable decreases occurred in Satara and in tbe Karnfitak and the Konkan generally.
In the Karnatak the fall is probably attributable to suspensions of land revenue and in the
Konkan to the favourable season. The greatest number of suits occurred in Koldba (4,597),
Kanara (2,056), Poona (1,542), Thana (1,128) and Kaira (1,106). In no other district did the
figure reach 800.