THE CAUSE OF INDIAN FAMINE.
T0 TUE EDITOR OF PRE " SPECTATOR:I Sra,—I would like to draw the attention of your readers to• the probability of another famine in Gujerat this year. We have had up to the present a normal rainfall, although it has been a little late in coming; but the cause this year is likely to come from another, and, so far as I am aware, unusual, source. —viz., rats. These destructive creatures have, during the last few months especially, increased in such enormous numbers that every field in this district at least is overrun and under- mined by them. The young crops—maize, wheat, rice, &c.— have appeared with most hopeful promise, but already to a large extent have been blighted by rats. The Government. with a view to encouraging their destruction, has issued orders to the local authorities to give one rupee per hundred to all and sundry who will present the required number of rate' tails. . It would afterwards be an interesting fact to know how many hundreds of dead rodents were presented! The Hindoo notion of sin has, I fear, still too deep a root in the farmer's mind to allow of a wholesale destruction of rats or any other animals. In a little conversation to-day with about thirty farmers they all said they would never kill a rat. When asked why, they replied to the effect that it is a sin to kill any animal, even although that animal is killing yourself. Vow that there is hope that the Government will take some step with a view to inquiring into the cause of the chronic famine in India, it would be well that those who live in famine districts should allow their views to be known. I do not for a moment think that scarcity of rain or a plague of rats is the real cause. We must go further than this to the root of the matter. There is very little doubt that the true cause will be found (1) in the poverty of the mass of the people, the culti- vators, caused by (2) the increasing wealth and greed of the Vinyi class. To put it in a few words, the perpetual famine in India is caused by the avarice of the Vanyd. The Vanya,
called the " Jew of India." They or Banks, has been truly
an the grain merchants, and are nearly all rich, many very rich. A poor farmer whose crop has failed comes to one of these men of greed and money. He is starving, his family is starving, and the Vluayi is most willing to relieve his wants, bat on his own conditions,—viz., the whole of next year's crops will be handed over to him, the VitnyA only undertaking to supply the poor creature with a little food in return, and perhaps seed for the following year's crop, which will also belong to the Vanya. The rich man hoards his grain year after year, and in the year of famine sells it out at an exorbitant rate, while the poor man and his family die, as the Vinyit will no longer supply him with food. I am living in the district which was more than any other blighted during the famine, and am given to understand that almost every crop, in this part of the country at least, falls to the Bania. The people are kept in perpetual poverty, if not starvation, consequently in the year of famine nothing but death stares them in the face. What, then, is the remedy ? Surely it is not far to seek. Could not a law be passed curtailing the enormous profit of the Vitnytt, or perhaps even ending his profit from this source altogether, and allow Government, the local authorities, or even a special authority appointed for that purpose, to supply in some measure his place? India i3 a rich, fertile country, and well able to support its inhabitants if it and they but get a chance.—I am, Sir, 8c,c., Rewa-Kantha. ANDREW McKam. P.S.—Since writing the above I have heard the Indian farmers' theory for the plague of rats. "These are the spirits," they say, "of all our friends who died during the famine; they died of hunger; now they have returned in rats' form to eat the food due to them. How could we kill them ? "
[The world has always been inclined to attribute scarcity of food to grain-merchants and moneylenders, but the world has never been able to get on without them, for the very good eason that they are necessary parts of the economic machine. At the same time, there are good moneylenders and bad, and the bad may cause terrible evils. The system lately tried in Egypt by Lord Cromer for dealing with the moneylending problem has been very successful. We trust that something of the same kind may ultimately be found applicable to India.—En. Spectator.]
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