ORISSA. 465 at low rates ; that low-rate sales should continue to be made to selected individuals at the rate of 5 sers per rupee, but that no more than 4 únnis (6d.) worth was to be sold to each person daily. At the meetings in August it was decided that labour should be paid for in uncooked rice; that all orphans and stray children should be searched for, clothed, and fed ; that a system should be introduced of supplying yarn to be spun in their houses by widows and respectable females, who should be paid for their labour in rice. Arrangements were also made for clothing the naked, and for providing additional hospital accommodation for the sick. On the roth August, the Committee resolved to raise the allowance of cooked rations to 7 local chhatáks (18 ozs.) for an adult, and 4 chhatriks for a child. The rates of relief sales were also reduced to 6 sers per rupee of good, and 9 sers per rupee of inferior rice; on the 7th September they were further lowered to 7 sers of good, and II sers of inferior rice for the rupee. The establishment of additional relief centres in the rural districts was also rapidly pushed on. The extension in the Committee's operations is shown by the following statement of the relief given in the last week of each month from June to October :-- OPERATIONS OF THE RELIEF COMMITTEE, JUNE/OCTOBER 1866, Last week of Number of Number Number of Bags of Rice of Bags ('entres in given in sold at Operation. Gratuitous Cheap Relief. Rates. rage Number of Persons Relieved. Number included in previous column who did light labour. 54 113 1,301 220 258 628 8,164 1,665 June, . . . . July, .... August, ... September, . . October, ... 736 821 20,562 5,503 1793 1374 32,000 15,000 2556 841 33,210 13,449 Government relief was also afforded to the distressed in the shape of public works. These were of two kinds, namely, works executed by officers of the Public Works Department, and those supervised by the local District officers. During the last seven months of the official year 1865-66 (October 1865 to April 1866 inclusive), the sum of £7201 was expended in public works out of a budget allotment of £11,248. During the first seven months of 1866-67 (May to November 1866 inclusive), £5553 was further expended, making a total of £16,801 expended by the Public Works officers from the commencement of the distress in October 1865, till its end VOL. X. 2 G
