Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/196

 184 (. F. A 2'I/QE /red Appendix III, making definite proposals for remedial action in this Presidency. For a general discussion of the adverse effect which this excessive sub-division and fragmentation of hold- ings have upon the status of the cultivators and the production reference of crops I would to pages 50 to 55 venture to invite a of my Rtral In the extreme typical. in the Bombay Deccan, and for a more detailed state- ment of the facts to Appendix I. In this Appendix I have attempted to give-illustrations, taken from various points of view, of the existing state of affairs in tihe Konkan, Gnjarat, West Deccan and East Deccan. Konkan no atemp hs been made to select cases, aud the ca,es Hach tnore extreme cited ma be taken as mght have been found, and lIr. J. A. Hadan of individual plots in the Ratnagiri Distric is times as sm11 as a quarter of a guntha (1 informs me that the size SOm- guntha equals one-fortieth of an acre), and that he knows of a case where a holding of 2. gunthas was partitioned amongst five brothers, so that each brother got a holding of haig a guntha, and each of the five brothers cultivated each of the five plots bf half a gnntha in rotation. ffch extreme cses am0nnt to an absurdity, but even taking the facts shown in case No. I of Appendix I, the serious hindrance to effective. production may be realised. I do not propose to refer to the difficulty of maintaining records of these innumerable sub.divisions, of collecting revenue from and keeping accounts for each of these minute plots, or of the task of separately demarcating them, as is being attempted. These are matters which merely cause difficulty to Government, and it is to the difficulties which are caused to the cultivators that I wish to direct attention. The essential thing in rice cultivation is to have the water unde,' control, to get water from streams when rain is scanty, and to