108 "THE TIMES" A "BLIND LEADER OF THE BLIND." suffice. The revision of Indapoor taluk enhanced rates by 53 per cent., of Sholapoor by 77, of Madeh 77, of Bhimthuree 69, of Punderpoor 67, of Barsee 66, of Heveli 66, of Pabul 48, of Soopa 36, and of Tharmal 32 per cent. These enhancements of rates were considered moderate at the time they were announced. As, however, they were made at a time when the reaction in prices had set in in full force, Government was compelled, in sheer justice to the complaints of the peasantry, though against the inclination of survey officers, to offer a concession of rates in a resolution dated the 29th October, 1874, in which it was laid down that in no case was the increase of revenue by the re-assessment of a taluk or a group of villages to exceed 33 per cent.: that in case of an individual village the enhancement was not to go beyond 66 per cent. ; and in case of a single holding beyond 100 per cent. Even this resolution, in the opinion of the Deccan Riots Commission, has not solved the difficulty. In fact Mr. Pedder considers that Government might with advantage lay down a general rule that the enhancement on a revision of settlement in any taluk should not exceed 25 or 30 per cent.* With the foregoing examples reference to The Times' misleading statements must end, only, however, because the writer's limits are reached. They will serve to show that, in matters relating to India the leading journal is to the British people "a blind leader of the blind." It is slight blame to the former that their Indian knowledge is small and incomplete; it is heavy blame to the latter that it puts forth a partial statement of a case as the whole and creates an impression which is in complete disaccord with the facts. * Times of India, April 12, 1879. One need not, however, turn to a Bombay journal of six years ago for proof of this statement. The Times itself, on Aug. 23, published a letter in which it was remarked :-"As a rule in India, rents, on estates where the Government is or represents the landlord, are not moderate but the reverse. When the Durbhunga estates were under Government management, some 5,000 ryots, unable to pay the increased rents demanded of them, abandoned their farms and homesteads and fled into Nepaul. In Madras, where the bulk of the land belongs to the State, evictions and sales in realizing the Government demand on land have been increasing in an alarming ratio since 1865. In Bombay, Sir Auckland Colvin's Minute, embodied in the report of the Deccan Riots Commission, states that the excessive enhancements made, in the Government demand on the land held by the cultivators, were among the special causes of the distress and serious disturbances of 1874-75. Many other instances of a similar nature might be cited, the most recent being the cases of the Midnapore ryots, which came up last year on appeal before the High Court of Bengal, and from which it appeared that 75,000 ryots complained of excessive and illegal enhancements having been made in their rents-a complaint which the Court found to be well-grounded in the case selected for trial." BARING, Sir Evelyn, Lord Ripon's opinion of his financial ability, &c. "BLIND LEADER of the Blind."-The Times Newspaper BRITISH RULE in India, Favourable Results, 74, 75; Unfavourable Results 76-91 CHURCHILL, Lord Randolph, the Saturday Review and COAL MINES and Iron Works COMMONS, House of, its attitude towards Indian Reform . 92-101 I 15 18 16 17 65 ΙΟ CONSERVATIVES, their attitude in regard to British Administration in India 18, 19-21 FAWCETT, Mr., the "Member for India," his high position in public Favourable and Unfavourable results of British Rule in India Railways .. British Rule INDIA FOR THE INDIANS-and for England INDIAN GAOLS, The Member for Dungarvan, and Secretary of State for India on the improvements made LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT in India LYTTON, LORD, his treatment of Lord Mayo's Decentralization scheme MARINE SERVICE, Re-organisation of MAYO, LORD, His Decentralization scheme Native Indians, Employment of, in India OUDH, and Lord Ripon's proposed Measures of relief.. 788905 ΙΟ 65 59 13 55-59 107 42 9 I, 3, 9 Lord Ripon's, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27; 35-4I; REFORM OF THE CIVIL SERVICE, of the Imperial and Native Armies Surplus and deficit during forty-five years' administration The Revenue in reference to Free Trade REVENUES of Hyderabad and India compared RICE, Tax on Acreage under cultivation RIPON, Lord, his administration of India criticised by Sir A. Colvin The moral effect of his rule His legislative policy, "India for the Indians-and for England 12-15 Mr. J. K. Cross, M.P., on comparison of Corn Laws abolition to 60-62 63 64 65 18 18 31 .. 20, 21 17 66 102-108 "THE TIMES " newspaper and Indian Progress, criticism of article of WELLINGTON, the Duke of: his opinion of the British Constitution.. LONDON: TALBOT BROTHERS, 81, CARTER LANE, E.C. 1885. . 58, 59 |