'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR, 1910-1911' [‎238r] (59/150)

^QlO-igij
lba y Act
■ 01 >t«ued
ver nme M
wd Bel a
Lct - Th e
'"s than
ed to be
[rn brance
e end 0 f
e estates
:h e close
of 1881
comment
: interest,
i- There
n account
[ e balance
^edabad,
ards and
’8 estates
Rule 5 0 {
r 7 at the
§5 vvere
of the
s in part
from the
nd of the
the year
ikdvi and
the same
mka were
agreement
ment loan
Kaira and
amedabad,
e Gujarat
luring the
tas remain
assification
chi during
estate at
nidation of
aintenance
rhere was
lounted to
Nothing
of which
.ssessment.
ind, at the
anagement
mounted to
;al amount
liquidation
0 Govern-
re due on
REVENUE AND RENT-PAYING CLASSES.
5. Revenue and Rent-paying Classes.
2 3
Chap. II.
ADMINISTRA
TION OP THE
LAND.
1 . Throughout most 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. a series of good harvests has now done much Revenue-paying
, improve the condition of the agricultural classes and to further the process of recoup- classes -
7against losses sustained in previous years of famine. The measure of recent progress
this respect is indicated by the figures of land revenue collection for the year. In view of
!L favourable monsoon there was no need to grant remissions on any large scale, and there
w remains only a small outstanding balance of the authorized arrears of revenue which
mder the liberal suspension rules of Government have been a necessary legacy of -lean
seasons in the P ast The cu r r ent demand was generally realized without difficulty.
Coercive processes were resorted to with rather more frequency than in previous years*
especially in the Central Division ; but this was partly owing to the fact that the favourable
season left no excuse for non-payment of Government dues, and partly to the necessity of
combating the idea, which is still prevalent in some parts, that continued evasion of liability
will lead ultimately to remission^ . As usual the attitude of contumacy was chiefly found
among the well-to-do. In addition to good rains the continuance of prices at a hmh
level contributed to the general prosperity of the cultivating classes. In Sind, however, the
price of wheat showed a tendency to weaken, and the prejudicial effect of this and of' the
damage caused to the cotton crop by frost was specially marked in Karachi and the southern
talukas of the Larkana district. Scarcity of labour impeded field work in a few districts
but the high level of wages is not severely felt by the farmer so long as agricultural produce
commands a favourable market. The dearth of labour chiefly affects the middle class land-
owners, who show a growing disinclination to cultivate land themselves and are therefore
placed more at the mercy of a fluctuating labour supply. On the other hand the small
cultivator has least need to employ hired labour, and indirectly profits by being able to
supplement his income with the proceeds of day labour in the slack season. In regard to
the general problem of indebtedness the outlook appears to be encouraging. The co-opera
tive credit movement shows a steady advance. Although in some districts such as Ratndgiri
and Thana the transfer of land from agricultural to non-agricultural ownership gives little
sign of decreasing, in others, of which Belgaum is a notable example, there has been a
maiked falling of in the number of sales and mortgages registered. The work of conciliators
under the Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act has been as usual somewhat uneven in character
Where the right type of conciliator can be secured there is a general concensus of opinion
that the system gives good results.
2. The tenant’s position has generally improved in recent years on account of the Rent-paying
scarcity of labour and the opportunities now open to the poor cultivator of taking up land classes -
at small capital expenditure on the restricted tenure. Rack-renting or summary eviction
on the part of the landlord are therefore comparatively rare. The number of assistance and
ejectment suits shows no marked divergence from that of the previous year, though some
decrease is noticeable in suits brought by inamdars, probably on account of the measures
recently taken to secure prompt recovery of inamdar’s dues in assistance cases. In Ratnagiri
the substitution of cash rents for payments in kind is being carried out under the amended
Khoti Act. Although the process of settlement is apt to produce temporarily strained
relations between khots and their tenants, no cases of boycotting or personal violence have been
reported and in the long run the reform is bound to be beneficial. The Haviks in the
spice talukas of Kanara are heavily involved in debt, but the difficulty of replacing them by any
0 er class of cultivator renders them largely secure from unduly oppressive treatment.
‘ similar difficulty in Sind gives the hart 2. strong position in his dealings with the zamindar.
3 - The area of land held on the restricted tenure increased by 4^4 per cent, durino- the Working of Act
ye a r and reached a total of more than 20 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of acres. Of this total nearly 12 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of acres VI of I901 -
f are anc ^ more than 10 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees or half the total for the whole 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. are in the
j' 0 is incL s of Hyderabad and Thar and Parkar. The increase in Sind was proportionately
y'f er 7? an ln l-j 16 Pre^dency proper, amounting to 67 per cent. The proportion of land
cen*. 0n e ^stricted tenure to the total area cultivated in the year under review was 5 per
even/!)' ^ >res ^ en . c T as a whol 0 an d 13 per cent, in Sind. The increase appears in almost
Thar / ///i an< ^ aS mos ^ n °ticeable in West Khandesh, Sholapur, Bijapur, Hyderabad,
Ahmec/h ai r ar a T ld Upper Sind Frontier. There was a decrease of 2,500 acres in
tal( en S & ’ ^ Ue resignation of lands on the margin of cultivation which were
popnla/jP 0Y l restricted tenure and found to be unworkable. As a general rule the
terms nfu. t ie new l ;enu re appears to be increasing and misconceptions with regard to the
erms of the tenure are gradually dying out. E &