Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/473

 LAND REVENUE IN MADRAS 451 the Government, were much discusseel; ancl in 1855 the work of survey ancl re-settlement was begun. This work will be accom- plishecl in or about 1895, but certain districts of the presiclency will then have seen this very re-settlement expire, for Trichi- nopoly, Goclaveri ancl parts of South Arcot ancl Kistna Districts, were resettied for a thirty-year term in or before 1865. Each clistrict has been fully ancl separately reportecl on: a sixteen-inch-to-the-mile map, showing the bounclaries of every fielcl, preparecl for esch village; the names of the holclers of each fielcl entered in a permanent register, as well as the classification of its soil; for esh class of soil estimates have been framecl of its gross procluce in cereals, of the cost of cultivation, ancl of the allowances to be made for unprofitable areas inclucled in ancl for vicissitucles of season. The value of the procluce to the farmer is estimatecl, ancl a table of rates per acre frameel, which assigns, theoretically, half the net surplus to Government, half the cultivator. The statesmen who orclerecl this re-settlement saw the farmers to be/n a stationary conclition; they cloubtecl (in the absence of a survey in clefall) what the assessments then paicl actually amountecl to per acre: they clesirecl to stimulate any tenclency to progress by lowering anc] equalizing assessments, ancl by register- in ancl simplifying titles. They founcl no railroads, scarce any roads or canals, ancl but an insignificant trade at the ports. Ve approach the re-settlement commencing in 1895 uncler clifferent conditions. During the past forty years the population of these trscts has increasecl from fifteen to more than twenty-five millions; its tillecl acres from twelve to more than twenty millions; its annual payment for lancl revenue from twenty-five to forty million rupees; external trade has trebled in volume; the period has been one of vast material progress. The Settlement Commissioner has estimated the produce in cereals of each field and converted such produce into rupees on the basis (generally) of the prices recorded as ruling between 1845 ancl 1864; large clecluctions being macle for the cost of sending grain to market, as well as on the assumption that grain factors pay to farmers less than the reporteel market prices. This com- mutation rate has variecl in the several clistricts ancl startels at an average of about ten rupees for twelve bushels. The actual market price cluring the past forty years has been about ten rupees for a quarter. The commutation rates have averagecl 100,  whilst the market rates have averagecl 150 very nearly. i.e. 100 rupees per Madras garce.