148 GILBERT SLATER and asked him what kist they levied on the wet lands in the village in which we happened to be. He told me that was Rs26 per acre. Now the maximum kist in the Madras presidency is Rs22-8 per acre. I quite agree that the Travancore assessment is so moderate that it is not injurious or oppressive; but I have come to the conclusion that the same. is the fact also to the Madras assessment. I do not the pressure o[ land revenue which I hare seen is in any Indian poverty. It however the cause of Indian po,'e?'ty is not to be found in the' explanation generally offered to us, what is the true explanation ? And further in what directions should some palliative ? with regard believe that in those. parts of India way an. explanation of to give any full or adequate answer to these questions. I only propose to offer you some remarks based upon my own observations. South India is to country that almost such an extent an agricultural the whole population is either directly employed in agriculture, or suppot'ted by agri- culture at only one remove. There are some consider- able mills and factories in the city of Madras. There are cotton mills also in Coimbatore, Madura, Ambasa- mudram and Tuticorin; .there are important bodies of hand-loom weavers and workers in other handicrafts in various to. wns and villages. But out.of the. popula- tion which ?s not directly employed m agriculture, the great majority consists of the agriculturists in the village, in agricultural produce, or yakils craftsmen who serve of traders who deal whose income is derived from disputes about land, and an immense variety of other people who are, as I said. dependen? on agriculture at one remove only. Hence the prosperity of South India depends almost entirely upon we look for some remedy, or at least Please note that I do not profess
