The general situation is described below Belgaum.—The situation is found worse than was expected owing to the difficulty the poor find in procuring grain. The recent rain has, however, improved prospects. No outflow of aophe has yet begun, but immigrants have commenced to come in from other districts and Native States.
Dharwar.—The immigration of distressed people from Bijapur and from Mysore territory and Madras continues and is increasing.
Kharif harvest is in full progress and employs a large number of per-Sons at good wages varying in value from annas 6 to annas 8 for agricultural Inbourers in the western and southern talukas but in the north and east talukas Jabour is obtainable at from annas 2 to annas 14. The supply of food-grain is sufficient. The condition of agriculturists is good, and of labourers and artisans improving. In the Haven and Ranebennur talukas the prospect is becoming distinctly unfavourable.
1¢ state of cattle is growing worse. Water-supply is sufficient.
ijapur.—The demand for labour is daily increasing though prices have fallen in cooming scarcer and dearer.
on account of rainfall. Fodder is The health of the. people is generally good throughout the three districts. In parts of Bijapur crime is increasing as a consequence of the scarcity. In the Bijapur District the demand for labour is daily. increasing and more relief works are being opened.
Relief works proper as well as test works are in progress in several districts. The numbers employed on the works according to the latest information are shown below Sholapur relief works 10,932, test works 2,500 (on Local Fund and Municipal Works); Ahmednager relief works 4,27: test works none; Poona relief works 6,' test works none; Nasik relief works 1,57: test works 929; Khandesh relief works none, test works 231; Bijapur relief wor 12,717, test works. 4,179; Dharwar relief works none, test works 1,780; and Belgaum relief works none, test works none. The relief works already sanctioned consist mainly of breaking and collection of metal for roads. Although metal-breaking is a work which gives a fair amount of useful result it cannot be relied on too exclusively, for it is not suitable for certain classes-of labourers for whom earth-work is better adapted. Provision has therefore been made for the construction of new roads and clearances of existing tanks, and the feasibility of several new tank projects as relief works is being enquired into. It has been ruled that the works should, as far.as practicable, be so located as to give labour within a reasonable distance of the homes of labourers, but that with proper hutting the distance to be travelled may be increased for able-bodied labourers, provided this will secure works more suitable and more likely to prove permanently useful. Enquiries have been instituted to ascertain whether it would be practicable, when a railway runs through a famine district, to provide metal for ballast at suitable spots and afterwards to dispose of it to the way Company. It has also been arranged that, if necessary, earth-works on the tion from Nandurbar to Amalner (60 miles) -of the Tapti Velly Railway and on the_portion from Amalner to Dharan; Gdmules)
of the Amalner-Jalgaon Railway, of which the fins ment has been determined, shall be put in hand as relief works.. If the alignment of the proposed railway from Parsi to Pandharpur is settled, it is intended to proceed with the earthwork of that railway as a relief work in case of need. Wherever relief works have been opened, arrangements are being made in communication with the Sanitary Department for the erection of camps for labourers, and the attention of the officers concerned has been drawn to the provision in para. 3 of Appendix IV to the Famine Code that the making of the earthen walls and raised floors is the work on which the relief workers should generally be employed fon first arrival. Where matting is considered to be the most suitable material for the camps, Collectors have been authorised to have it nade and kept in stock. Authority has been given to apply the provisions of Chapter IX of the Famine Code regarding the treatment of non-working children to the extent found necessary in the Bijapur district, where it is reported that the number of such children on one relief work has exceeded 10 per cent of the total number of labourers.
Discretionary allowances have been granted to several Collectors to meet urgently necessary expenditure on small works and gratuitous or semi- gratuitous relief, The attention of the Collectors has been called to the provision of Section 69 of the famine Code regarding the entry on the village dole register of such of the inferior village servants as it is necessary to retain in the village for the performance of their duties, and it has been ordered. that of the others likely to be re-be employed on ity of their villages, while those who are not needed or likely: to be needed for the performance of duties in their villages must employed on the large works. The numbers gratuitously relieved during. the last week were 2,845 in Sholapur, in Poona and 23 in Satara. These figures do not include the numbers of non-working children whose parents are employed on relief works. These were in Poona 2,674, in Sholapur 1,598, in Bijapur 2,282 and-in Nasik-625.
An allotment of Rs; 20,000 has been Boos. at the disposal of the Collector of Code for improvement of the water-supply jjapur under Section 152 of the Famine Dut as-recent rain will presumably lessen the need for such expenditure, the Collec-for has been instructed not to spend more that is reasonably necessary. The Collector of Kolaba has been authorised to utilise the unspent balance of the current. year's Government grant to that district for village water-supply for the erection of temporary dams at convenient places in order. to store up what water remains in the rivers and naias. A sum of Rs. 5,000 has also been placed at the disposal of the Collector of Ahmednagar for deepening walls and increasing the water-supply.
The amounts hitherto allotted to the affected districts for tagal advances for agricultural improvements over and above the ordinary assignments are mentioned below:—Bijapur, Rs. 4,00,000, Belgaum Rs. 2,00,000, Dharwar, Rs. 1,00,000, Ahmednagar Rs. 75,000, Satara Rs., 70,000, Sholapur Rs. 64,650, Khandesh-Rs. 40,000, total Rs. 9,49,650. It has been ordered that care should be taken'that the amounts thus made available are distributed in those places only where scarcity is apprehended and to persons who are likely to.turn'the money to good account... Where the applitations for such advances are. numerous, special officers have been appointed to make the necessary enquiries so that the disposal of the applications may not be layed.
Relief Mamlatdars have been appointed in the districts of Bijapur, Sholapur and Ahmednagar, Personal Assistants have—-been—given. to the. Collectors..of: those
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.