Poverty and un-British rule in India

1901·25.3 MB·English

by  Naoroji, Dadabhai, 1825-1917

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POVERTY AND UN-BRITISH
RULE IN INDIA
LONDON
SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LIM.
PATERNOSTER SQUARE
1901

CONTENTS.
*
THE POVERTY OF INDIA.
Total Production of India, 2 Calcutta Statistical Committee,
Agricultural Tables, 2 Fallacy of its Statistics, 3 How Statistics
should be Compiled, 4 -Central Provinces, Food Produce, etc., 4
Punjab, Do., 5 North-West Provinces, Do., 8 Bengal, Do., 12
Madras, Do., 15 Bombay, Do., 17 Oudh, Do., 22 Sjummary, 23
Other Items of India's Wealth, 24 Income per head, 25
Necessary Consumption, 25 Cost of Subsistence, 27 Subsistence
per head, 28 Proportion of Children to Adults, 30 Production
Compared with Cost of Living, 31 Deficit of^Imports Compared
with Exports, 32 The Drain to England, 33-^ Increase of the
Drain, 34 Small Amount of Imports from England, 36 India's
Tribute, 36 The Elements of the Drain,, 38^-Ofncial Opinion
of the Drain,~38 Bengal, '38 BomBay, 43 Madras, 47 Pun-
jab, 48 North-West Provinces, 49 Central Provinces, 50
India, 50 Condition of England under a similar Drain, 51
'Drain through Investment of English Capital, 54 The Moral
Drain, 56 Pressure of Taxation, 8-*-A Fair Comparison with
other Nations, 59 Not True Free Trade, 61 Prices, 62 Causes
of High Prices, 63 Fluctuation in Price of Cotton, 64 Price
of Coffee, 65 of Indigo, 65 of Rice, 66 of Silk, 67 of Sugar,
67 of Linseed, 68 of Rapeseed, 68 of Wool, 68 of Indian
Tea, 68 Causes of Local Rise in Prices, 69 Normal Decrease
in Prices under British Rule, 72 Average Prices, 79 Higher
Prices due to Scarcity, 80 due to Famine, 81 Wages, 82 in
Bengal, 82 in Bombay, 83 in Punjab, 84 in Central Provinces,
84 Bullion, 85 Export of Bullion, 89 Non-fulfilment of Solemn
Promises, 90 Macaulay on Employment of Native Indians, 91
The Duke of Argyll's Promises/ 94 Suspension of the Nine
Scholarships, 100 The Uncovenanted Service,103 The Engineer-
ing Service, 105 Madras, no Roorkee EngineeringCollege, in
Bengal, 114 The Native Medical Service, 116 Telegraph and
Forest Services, 123 Reply to Criticisms on The Poverty of India,
126.
THE CONDITION OF INDIA.
Prefatory Note, 145 Letter to the Marquis of Hartington,
IV CONTENTS.
147 Administration Report of Punjab, 1876-7, 148 Memoran-
dum and Criticism of India Office Figures and Statistics, 178
Railways, 193 Foreign Trade, 196 The Moral Poverty of India,
203.
SIR M. E. GRANT DUFF'S VIEWS ABOUT INDIA, 231.
Poverty ofIndia, 233 Trade Statistics ofIndia, 251.
SPEECHES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
East India RevenueAccount, 275 Amendment to the Address,
294.
ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF
EXPENDITURE IN INDIA.
Letters to Lord Welby: No. 1,307; No. 2, 321; No. 3, 322
Production and Distribution, 323 Crops under Cultivation, 327
ALeptpteenrdsixto: "LoIrnddiaWnelAbffyai:rsN"o.(T4i,me3s,43O;ctN.o.5,5,189366)5,;39N5o.Le6,tt3e8r0to
Lord Welby, No. 7, 398 Summary, 458' Appendix: Simultaneous
Examinations, 466 Correspondence with the War Office, 487
Correspondence with the Admiralty, 505 Expenditure on Wars
beyond the Frontier, 522 Cost of the Forward Policy,526 Indian
Currency, 529 No. i, Statement submitted to the Indian Currency
Committee of 1898, 530 Indian Exchange, 548 The Currency
Question, 560 No. 2, Statement submitted to the Indian Currency
Committee of 1898, 563 The State and Government of India
underits Native Rulers, 577 Further Opinions on the Subject of
Native Rulers and British Rule, 614.
A SELECTION FROM ADDRESSES.
No. i, Address at Manchester, 627 No. 2, The Condition of
India (Westbourne Park Chapel), 636 No. 3, "India must be
Bled" (United Methodist Free Church, Walthamstow), 643 No. 4,
Address at Plumstead, 648 No. 5, The Indian Famine (Kenning-
ton), 654.
INTRODUCTION.
"BRITAIN'S SOLEMN PLEDGES."
ACT OF PARLIAMENT, 1833 (INDIA) :
"That no Nativeof thesaid territories,nor anynatural-bornsubjectof HisMajesty
resident therein, shall by reason only of his religion, place of birth, descent, or any
of them, be disabled from holding any place, office, or employment under the said
[TheCompany'sdutiesweretransferredtotheCrown.]
TH"EWeQUhEolEdNo'uSrsePlRveOsCbLoAuMndATtoIOthNeNOaFtiv1e8s5o8f:ourIndianterritoriesbythesameobliga-
tionsofdutywhichbindustoallourothersubjects,andtheseobligations,bytheblessing
corfeAe"ldA,minbgdehtfiyrteeGisloydoa,unrwdefiumsrphtaahlreltrifaawliiltlyhlfautdlhlmayit,tatnseoddcftaoornosafcfsiiecmnetsaiymoubsoelu,yrofsuuelrfrivlsi.ucbej,ectthse,douftiwehsaotfevwehricrhacteheoyr
may"Wbheeqnua,libfyietd,hebbyletshesiirngedoufcPartoivoind,eanbcieli,tyi,ntaenrdnailnttergarniqtuyi,lldiutlyysthoaldlibscehraersgteo.red,it is our
earnest desire to stimulate .... andtoadminister its government forthebenefitofall
our subjects resident therein. Intheirprosperitywill be ourstrength,intheircontent-
mentoursecurity,andintheirgratitudeourbestreward. AndmaytheGodofallpower
granttousandtothoseinauthorityunderusstrength to carryout these our wishes for
thegoodofourpeople."
LORD LYTTON (the Viceroy), on the assumption of the title of Empress,
"BiusttJyoaun,utahrey,Nat1i8v7e7s,oaftItnhdeia,DewlhahtievAesrseyomubrlaragcee:and whateveryour creed,have
acarpeacciotgynifsoerdtchleaitmaskt,oisnhatrheelaadrmgienliyswtriatthiyoonurofEnthgelicsohufnetlrlyowy-osuubjienchtasb,ita.ccoTrhdiisngcltoaiymouirs
founded in the highest justice. It has been repeatedlyaffirmedbyBritish and Indian
statesmen and by the legislation of the Imperial Parliament. It is recognised by the
Government of India as binding on its honour,and consistent with all theaimsofits
policy."
LORD LYTTON (the Viceroy), as Chancellor of the Calcutta University,
"TMhaerPcrho,cla1m8a7t7io:nofthe Queen contains solemn pledges, spontaneouslygiven,and
foundeduponthehighestjustice."*,
JUBILEE of 1887. The Queen-Empress, inreply to theJubileeAddressof
"AClolnusgiroantiuslmaatdieontootfhetPhreocBloammabtiaoyniMsusuneidcoinpathleCococrapsoiornatofiomny:assumptionofthe
directgovernmentofIndia as the charter of the liberties of the PrincesandPeoplesof
India. Ithasalwaysbeenandwillbecontinuedtobemyearnest desire thattheprinci-
plesofthatProclamationshouldbeunswervinglymaintained."
IN order to give briefly some indication of the scope and
object ofthis book, I make some introductory remarks.
The title of the book is " POVERTY AND UN-BRITISH RULE
IN INDIA,"i.e.,the present system of government isdestructive
and despotic to the Indians and un-British and suicidal to
Britain. On the other hand, a truly British course can and
will certainly be vastly beneficent both to Britain and India.
Before dealing with the above evil qualities of the pre:sseenntt
system of government I would first give a very brief sk:eettcchh
of the benefits which India has derived from British ccoonn-- ^-J
VI INTRODUCTION.
nexion, and of the immense importance of India to Britain
for Britain's own greatness and prosperity.
THE BENEFIT-S TO INDIA.
The present advanced humanitarian civilisation of Britain
could not but exercise its humane influence to abolish the
customs of sati and infanticide, earning the everlasting bless-
_ ings of the thousands who have been and will be saved
thereby.
The introduction of English education, with its great,
noble, elevating, and civilising literature and advanced
science, will for ever remain a monument of good work done
in India and a claim to gratitude upon the Indian people.
This education has taught the highest political ideal of
British citizenship and raised in the hearts of the educated
Indians the hope and aspiration to be able to raise their
countrymen to the same ideal citizenship. This hope and
aspiration as their greatest good are at the bottom of all their
present sincere and earnest loyalty, in spite of the disappoint-
ments, discouragements, and despotism ofa century and half.
I need not dwell upon several consequential social and civi-
lising benefits. But the greatest and the most valued of all
the benefits are the most solemn pledges of the Act of 1833,
and the Queen's Proclamations of 1858, 1877, and 1887,which
if "faithfully and conscientiously fulfilled" will be Britain's
highest gain and glory and India's greatest blessing and
benefit.
Britain may well claim credit for law and order, which,
however, is as much necessary for the existence of British
rule in India as for the good of the Indian people; for
freedom of speech and press, and for other benefits flowing
therefrom.
THE IMMENSE IMPORTANCE OF INDIA TO BRITAIN'S EMPIRE,
TO ITS GREATNESS AND ITS PROSPERITY.
Lord Curzon, before he went out to India as Viceroy, laid
great and repeated emphasis, two or three times, upon the
fact ofthis importance of India to Britain. " India," he said,
"was the pivot of our Empire. (Hear, hear.) If this
Empire lost any other part of its dominion we could survive,
but if we lost India, the sun of our Empire would be set "
(Times, 3/12/1898).