Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/193

 LAND HOLDINGS 181 i is governed by he Hindu law of inheritance which has, I believe, he nos fissiparous tendency of any known law of inheritance, giving each male member of a family an equal share of he family propery from the ime of his birh, and allowing him o claim  partition of his share a any time. In some co_nnries he idea of considerable sub-division of land finds favor as ending o a widespread and equitable distribution of wealth and opportunity amongs a large number of persons, and as giving o a large proportion who cultivate he land a direc of he interes in be realised of general of holdings, people and atachmen o ha there arguments and i is are a in favor enly when becomes very excessive tha indicated. l'ragme, tation of he land. I will hus considerable number of the this remedial sub-division sub-division action is clearly holdigs, on he oher hand, is an tinmitigated evil for which, ! believe, no advantages can be claimed. I consists .of he spliing ap of a single holding ino a number of separate plots, often situated a a distance from each oher. I arises no directly from he Hindu law of inheritance, bu from customs connected wih the Hindu law of inheritance, and has is origin in a desire o provide an automatic method of securing a mathematically accurate partition o! a holding amongs he heirs. Thus supposing hat a man dies holding nine acres of land divided ino three plos of hree acres each, i migh be hoped ha each and leaves son would hree sons, ake a solid plot of hree acres, seling wih he ohers in money the balance .arising from any difference in he qaliy ! the differen plos. This, however, seldom happens; but, on he conrary, each plo would be spli up ino three sub-plots of one acre each, and a sb-plot in each place assigned I,o each heir, so tha he hree hold.