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241

both had their proportions defined by law and prescribed by custom community' ^men who would see most readily and clearly what improvements were needed, who could carry them out most cheaply spare hours, and who would profit most largely ^namely, five-sixths by them,_ doubtless willingly entered upon such works. The proof of this is, that in Madras the village communities which form the nearest present parallel to the ancient system do engage largely in such labours. There are now three classes who share in the produce of the soil, the ryot, who gets half or three-fifths, but of this the whole is absorbed by the expense of the more costly cultivating processes the landlord, who gets one-fourth or one-fifth and the Government, which gets one-fifth or one-sixth. Of the three, the last alone has a fixed share in the produce, and it alone evinces any inclination to make permanent improvements. The tenants, cannot, for they are too heavily in debt, have too smaU a share in the produce, and no security that that share will not be curtailed. In fact there is an ever present risk that if they improve a field by putting on more manure or more water, the rent will be raised permanently on account of an improvement which may be only temporary. ryot



—

—the cultivating

m

—

—





The

cultivating village proprietary communities in Oudh are the only which might be expected to' make works of this class. But they are too much in debt the individualism and litigious spirit of the present class



society doubtless obstruct such joint labours for the general good.

That the large proprietors do not make such works is due partly to of an enhanced land assessment, partly to the difficulty and obloquy which still attend a general rise of rents, but mostly to their own want of money, to their indifference to the state of their ryots, and to personal extravagance. In fine, no one class has a strong motive or an undivided interest in making improvements, and public spirit is practically their dread

dead.

Embabeassments- of the Landlords. This naturally leads to the debts of the land-owning

In Bara Banki, in 1872, the following transfers or

classes.

liens

were effected

Amount.

Description.

Deeds Deeds Deeds Deeds



of gift of sale above Rs. 100 of sale less than Rs. 100 of mortgage ...

Total

I have not been able to obtain the details for previous years; but in Fatehpur pargana, for instance, during the period which elapsed from July 1871 to November 1873, there were 95 deeds of sale, whose amount was Rs. 46,197 and 304 deeds of mortgage creating liens upon property

to the value of Rs, 1,17,638.

Q