Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/236

 — BAH

158

—High grain or money

Third.

for grain in

rents, accompanied by a heavy demand Bengal or elsewhere, will certainly bring on chronic scarcity,

which either of the former causes may aggravate into famine. As a rule, in north Oudh there can be no absolute famine till The reason is as follows rabi crop has been gathered in.

after the



during ten months of the year on the kharif these are the food of the masses. In almost any case of bad seasons there must be at any rate a five-anna crop of these. What is comparative drought for the rice is good seasonable weather for maize there is therefore, even in the worst years, at any rate sufiScient stock of these crops in the country to last for four months, from November tiU March, when the supply is eked out by the wild fruits already men-

The lower

classes live

grains, rice, kodo, juar, bajra





tioned. If, however, there is a bad rabi or spring crop succeeding, or if there is a large export of kharif grain to pay rent or revenue, there may be famine. This year the latter cause has been at work from every part boats have been lading for Patna and Bengal. During much of this period consumption prices have been actually higher than in Patna,

Nanpara.

Wheat

...

...

...

...

Barley

...

...

...

...

Gram

...

...

...

...

...

Juar

...

...

...

...

...

Balrtopur. 14

...

None

ill

Patna.

market

1619-

19 19

147 157

may be repeated, the former is not an effectual demand it is the of paupers who will take the grain at those prices but on credit. It will be gathered from the above that it is impossible to determine what are famine prices in districts like Gonda and Bahraich. When there is any general scarcity, they will be the first to suffer, as in the limbs of the dying the pulse ceases to be perceptible, while the heart is in full action. There may be scarcity of food, or there may be a scarcity of money, or there may be both. Now at any rate the effect of a bad season cannot be alleviated by the stores of former abundances. But,

it



demand

The Bahraich famines of former years have been sketched in the Fyzabad article. The local authorities declare that famine prices are 12 sers for wheat and 18 sers for maize. But no rule of the kind can be laid down. We had no famine when wheat was at 10 sers, and we have famine when kodo can still be got for 24 sers. On the comparative prices of wheat and maize in times of plenty and scarcity I cannot enter. The ofiicial returns though roughly correct for wheat, are very incorrect for the poorer grains. The monly

only rule to be laid down is, that when the cheapest grain comsold in the market reaches 20 sers for the rupee, or when the maizes

as ju£r, bajra, reach 17 sers, it is then time to test whether the people have money to buy at those rates by opening public works. Some of the features of the grain trade are hardly explicable on any theory of price.

For instance, now, in February 1874, carts may be met taking Indiancorn on the same road from Nawabganj to Gonda, and other carts from Gonda or the immediate neighbourhood to Nawabganj. It was clear that the one was to supply the retail trade, the other the wholesale trade.