31. Mr. PENNETTasked the Secretary of State for India if he has any information as to the extent and intensity of famine conditions now prevailing in India; how far the winter rains have fallen short of the average; how many persons have availed themselves of the relief works opened by the State; how far the present prices of staple food grains are in excess of the normal; and whether such prices show any tendency to decline?
§ Mr. FISHER"Famine," in the technical sense that relief works have been opened, has been declared in one district in Bombay and in parts of two other districts in the same Province. There is distress of a less severe character in several other districts in Bombay and the Central Provinces, in two districts in the United Provinces, and in a few places in other Provinces. In November and December there was in India as a whole a serious deficiency in the rainfall, resulting in failure of the autumn crops over wide areas and restricted sowings of winter crops. The latter have benefited considerably by fairly general rain. There are about 43,000 persons on relief works. The number is kept down by the good demand for labour on private account. The increase in the price of food grains has varied in different parts of India. As far as can be judged from the figures that have been received, the average increase over normal prices would appear to be about 50 per cent. Prices have not as yet shown a tendency to decline.
33. Sir J. D. REESasked the Secretary of State for India whether recent seasons in India have been bad and, if so, how many in succession; whether the fact is that, owing to the Government system of famine relief, the population in India are saved from suffering and death resulting from successive bad seasons; and whether it is desirable that the use of the word "famine" should be abandoned, such famines as exists being of money and not of food, which, either by purchase or by gratuitous Government distribution, is always available?
§ Mr. FISHERThe Secretary of State does not think it is the case that recent seasons in India as a whole have been bad. During the War, until the failure of the monsoon rains of 1918, the harvests have been generally good. The relief systems established in India is intended to, and does in fact, alleviate privation and its effect on the death rate. "Famine" in the Indian relief codes is now a technical word, denoting that the point has been reached at which the full machinery of relief is started. The term is well understood, and the Indian Government prefer to retain it.
Sir J. D. REESIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that though the technical signification of the word "famine" is well understood in India it is totally misunderstood in England, and is it not perhaps desirable that its use should be discontinued?
An HON. MEMBERWill the right hon. Gentleman say what is the annual income of the ryots of India, who form the main bulk of the population?
§ Mr. FISHERI must ask for notice of that.