View source for Bhavnagar State census: Distribution And Movement Of The Population

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|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
 
This article has been extracted from <br/>
''' Census of India, 1931 ''' <br/>
by<br/>
J. H. HUTTON, C.I.E., D.Sc., F.A.S.B. <br/>
Corresponding Member of the Anthropologische Gesellschaft of Vienna <br/>
 
DELHI: MANAGER OF PUBLICATIONS<br/>
1933</div>
|}
[[Category: India |B]]
[[Category: Communities |B]]
[[Category: Demography |B]]
 
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=Distribution And Movement Of The Population=  
 
The territories of the State of Bha vnagar lie at the head and west side or
the Gulf of Cambay in the Peninsula of Kathiawar, though a few outlying
villages are situated in the Dhandhuka Taluka of the Ahmedabad Collectorate.
The State does not present a compact appearance, interspersed as it is with the
foreign territories of the States of Palitana and Wala, and the British Taluka of
Gogha. This is due to the historical antecedents of the State which have mainly
contributed to the raising of the small Gohel principality of Sihorinto the present
State of Bhavnagar, by additions made to it from time to time by the brave and_
enterprising predecessors of the present ruler. The anarchy and misrule prevalent
on the eve of the dissolution of the Great Mughal Empire fired Bhavsinhji I with
an ambition to secure a suitable venue for the extension of his existing kingdom,
and found the present capital of Bhavnagar in the year 1723. At that time the
British had already appeared on the scene, and the hold of the Peshwa and the
Gaekwar on Saurashtra was loosening. The time that followed proved greatly
opportune for the realisation by Wakhatsinhji and Wajesinhji of the dream of
the modem Bhavnagar cherished by Bhavsinhji I. They extended and consolidated
their kingdom and brought it to its present dimensions, by defeating the
neighbouring chiefs and subduing the turbulent Khasias and Khuman Kathiswhose
territories they conquered. Since then the area of the State has undergone
very little change of noticeable importance. 
 
2. Area and Boundaries.-The State lies between 21"18' and 22'18'north
latitude and 71°15' and 72°18' east longitude. It has been cadastrally
surveyed, and according to the Revision Survey recently completed, the total
area of the State is recorded to be 2,961 square miles which shows -an increase
of 101 square miles upon the area as shown.,.at the last Census. The Bhavnagar
State. is bounded on the north by the Ranpur parganah under the Ahmedabad
Dlstnct and by the Jhalawar and Paneha! Sub-divisions of the Peninsula' on thesouth
by the Arabian Sea; on the east by the Gulf of Cam bay and a po;tion of
the Dhandhuka Taluka; and on the west by the Sorath Kathiawar and Halar
sub-divisions. The Separate Jurisdiction villages are al~ scattered over the
territory of the State.
 
3. Administrative DivisioDS.-For the purposes of revenue administration,
this State is divided into two Divisions, 'Viz., Northern and Southern, each
•comprising of five Mahals or districts. The Mahals are further sub-divided into
Tappas which are groups of villages of convenient size. The Mahals of Daskroi,
.Sihor, Botad, Gadhada, and U mrala constitute the Northern, and those of Lilia,
Kundla, Victor, Mahuva, and Talaja the Southern Division of the State. As far
back as 1881, the State consisted of nine Mahals only, when the Mahal of Victor
was for the first time brought into being and constituted into a separate Mahal,
'with the Rajula and Dungar Tappas of the Mahuva Mahal. Another important
•change was the transfer in 1918 of the twelve villages of Daskroi to the Mahal of
Talaja, which with the addition of other few villages of the latter Mahal formed
under it the separate Tappa of Trapaj. A new Tappa of Bhandaria was consti•
tuted in the place of the Trapaj Tappa thus transferred to Talaja by taking a few
villages of the old Trapaj Tappa and some others from. the Bhumbhali Tappa.
In the year 1923, the villages of Rajapara and Sakhadasar of the Daskroi Mahal
'were also transferred to the Trapaj Tappa of the Talaja Mahal. The changes
thus effected from time to time have had a corresponding effect upon the area
and population of the Mahals and Tappas concerned. Adjustments have, there•
fore, been made in the figures of population of the preceding Censuses as' shown
in Imperial Tables II and XX and State Table I on the basis of the area, as it
'stood on the 26th February 1931. As has been already noticed in the Introduction,
a significant departure has been made from the practice of the previous
'Censuses of giving figures only for the State as a whole in that a special recogni.
tion has been accorded to the City of Bhavnagar and also to the Mahals in
•certain iinportant tables where they have been taken as a unit.
4. Area of Mahals.-The marginal table gives the figures of area of
the ten Mahals of the State. From the point
of area, the Mahal of Daskroi enjoys the first
place with an area of 560 square miles. Next
come the Mahals of Kundla and Mahuva
whose respective areas are 550 and 465 square
miles j Lilia and Victor are the smallest of the
State Mahals, and have an area of 148 and
142 square miles respectively •

[[File:   Capture61.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
 
divided a State or Province into Natural Divisions consisting of tracts in which the
'natural features are more or less homogeneous .. Such an attempt in the case of
.-a State of the size of Bhavnagar is hardly of any practical utility. Bhavnagar
'State itself forms a part of a greater natural division of the country styled as
Kathiawar. Be~ides, the advantage of having natural divisions has been more
-than once questIoned, as in actual practice the figures are more particularly
required by administrative divisions rather than by natural divisions. Divisions
'of this kind ate hardly scientific and are still less suited to a comparatively smaller
'state as this. '. Such an attempt has, therefore, been abandoned. It may,
however, be noted here that in dealing with larger areas, the scheme must be
regarded to possess some value where people are bound together by ties of language
and sentiment. Natural divisions are also useful in explaining the variation in
.density at different places resulting from the differences of climate, rainfall, and
.soil. But in the case of the Bhavnagar State where the differences of language
. and sentiment are non-existent, and where the divergence in climate and soil is
not very great except in a few places, the creation of natura.l divisions should
'-Safely be dropped. An attempt in this direction will, however, suggest the divi.
sion of the State into the Kharopat, Kanthal Non-Kanthal and Bhal. The
Kharopat will include the Mahal of Lilia, and the Jira and Kundla Tappas of the
Kundla Mahalj whereas the Kanthal will include the Coastal Mahals of Mahuva
.and Talaja, and some portion of the Daskroi Mahal. The Bhal will be a
,separate division by itself owing to its physical peculiarities. The remainder
.portion of land may be conveniently called the Non.Kanthal ..

 
6. Definition of .. Population."-Before undertaking a statistical an.alysis.
of the fii,'lJres of population as .returned by the .Census, a.clear understandmg of
the term • population' as used In the Census hterature IS necessary. By. thepopulation
of the Bhavnagar State is meant all pe.rsoos.en!lmerated on th~ DI~ht
of the 26th February 1931, as being present and ahve within th~ State te!n~or1es,
persons travelling by railway and enumerated at the stati~os SItuated wlthm the•
boundary of the State and persons on board the vessels In Bhavnagar watersincluding
those for ~hom the schedules were received from the Port Supervisor
upto the 15th March 1931. The aggregate of the population thus recorded is the
actual or de facto population of the State ~ ?istinguished from its. ~e jur~ C?r
normal resident population. The former will mclude ~rsons not resl~mg wlthm
the State territories and exclude some of the normal residents who will be enu••
merated outside the State.

The Indian Census is a synchronous Census, and aims at enumerating:
all the persons wherever found at a particular time on a particular day. The•
hours between 7 p. m. and midnight have been conveniently chosen for the'
purpose. Every precaution is taken to enumerate all living human beings,.
wherever found, whether in houses numbered for the purpose, or• outside the
houses on roads, railways,steamers, as well as the vagrants in the streets for whose
enumeration special arrangements are made. By a judicious selection of the•
Census Night, the least possible fluctuation in 'the movement of population is.
secured. In India, the month of February or March corresponding to the Hindu
month of Falgun is generally selected. For, it is the part of the year when nogreat
assemblages and religious fairs are held, and celebration of marriages is.
prohibited among the Hindus.

The de jure population is the population normally residing in a locality~.
In India, the population as recorded at the preliminary enumeration will roughly
supply figures of the de jure population of the State. For, only the population.
living in houses which correspond to so many' commensal families' is enumerated'
at the first count which takes no notice of the tempbtary sojourners and the
travelling public.

The basis of clasSification of population differs in different countries~
England and France have the same basis of classification as India. What is.
called de facto in India is in France known as II la population de fait". Popula.
tion de jllre is equivalent to II la population de droit" which includes all persons
usually resident in an area including those temporarily absent, and excluding
those only momentarily present. There is' also a third division, viz., lila popula.
tion municipale" which the French. have adopted. It means II la population de
droit" minus prisoners, hospital patients, scholars, residents in schools, members.
of convents, the army and so on. The United States of America have a threefold
classification, viz., the II Constitutional population" which excludes residents in
Indian Reservations, the Territories and the District of Columbia' the II general'
population" which includes in addition the territories' and the ~. total population,"
which includes all excluded in the former.' •
A synchronou.s Ce~sus with !ts double classification of the population intI>
dll la~to and de JU~6 IS ~t SUited to Indian conditions for its simplicity in enumerattng
the people mhablting such a vast continent.

7. ~ccuracy of Census Figures.-Mter this preliminary discussion as. to
the meantng of the term 'population' some estimate of the degree of accuracy
of the. Censu~ figures may well be made. Doubts are not unfrequently expressed
regardtng their correctness ~nd accuracy. In such a complex business as the.
Censl;ls. absol?te accu~cy IS to be found nowhere in this world. It must always.
remrun as an Ideal w.hl.ch eyery Census worker should try his best to attain with.
0!l~ completely attammg It. Because an ideal Census presupposes that every
~Itizen of the State understands his civic responsibility and will try to see that he
IS properly enumerated. On the other hand, every Census official will , in hi!>
1. Prof. Bowley, B~n" oj Stah~tics. p.25.
 
turn, fulfil bis duty, and leave no stone unturned to' secure this state of
ideal perfection. But as human nature varies from place to place and from one
individual, to another, this is never to be hoped for. Errors and omissions are,
therefore, bound to occur. Cases of persons left out from enumeration as also
of persons enumerated twice over, not to talk of the cases of inexact entries,
will always occur. But this is inevitable and cannot be helped. \Vhat is, therefore,
necessary is to take such precautions and devise such safeguards as will
reduce the resulting mistakes to a minimum. The extent to which they are put
into practice will determine the degree of accuracy achieved.
So far as the present Census is concerned it may with all modesty be
asserted that both from the point of numbers and details, it is better placed than
any of its predecessors. And this opinion has been shared by not a few responsible
State officials and public men who have been kind enough to point out the
comparative superiority of the present Census. Various factors have contributed
to this success. , Deterrent punishment of the indolent workers coupled with
substantial encouragement given to the deserving in the shape of cash rewards to
the extent of nearly Rs. 1,500 had a very wholesome effect in improving the
existing machinery of enumeration. It put the workers on their mettle and
induced them to show better work. Proper instructions supplemented by exten'
sive checking and inspection exercised by the supervising Census oflicials greatly
improved the recording of the entries in the enumeration books.
It must, however, be admitted that there must have been persons who will
not have been enumerated at all and who must be offset against those enumerated
twice. The resulting error will indeed be very small, almost negligible, as it
is spread over large numbers. So from the point of numbers, the present Census
may be credited with the fairest degree of accuracy without the slightest
hesitation. Omissions are likely to occur in the case of the public travelling by
rail and steamer. And they will vary from station to station according to
the arrangements made to enumerate the passengers at the platform, and on the
running trains, and vessels in the harbour. It is unnecessary to enter here into
useless details about the precautions taken in this behalf, and already mentioned
in the Administrative Report. Suffice it, therefore, to say that the hearty co•operation
of the Railway authorities was of great help in eliminating all probable errors
which can be judged from the fact that as many as 1,752 persons were enumerated
on the railway platforms, running trains, and boats.
From the point of details, this Census has' been more comprehensive than
any of its predecessors. And yet there is left much to be desired by way of
making the entries recorded perfect, especially in entering the details regarding
the occupational columns which is the stumbling block of the Census in almost all
the countries of the world. Some of the important details are, therefore, lacking,
-leaving ample scope for the intelligent guesses of the Abstraction Office. But this
,can be only remedied by a proper understanding of the scheme of enumeration
which cannot be ensured so long as the great mass of the people is uneducated '
and the available enumerators in rural areas are not sufficiently trained. Any
short-coming, therefore, that is likely to manifest itself will be rather in the direction
of under•estimation than that of over-estimation. Attention will, from time
to time, be invited to the value to be attached to the various sets of figures at the
commencement of each Chapter.
There is, however, one point of great significance about the Census figures
,of 1931. The No-tax campaign and the Civil Disobedience Movement started
by Mr. Gandhi on the 12th March 1930 were going on in British India, until the
Delhi Pact was signed on the 5th March 1931. The multifarious boycott activities
-ofthe Indian National Congres saw in the Census a fresh venue for obstructing
the Government. The Census officials in some places in British India were
handicapped in their work by the refusal of some persons to volunteer the information
required to be entered in the schedules. But fortunately that was not the
-case with the Indian States. The Census returns of this State are, therefore,
wholly unaffected' by the boycott movement. One stray case of refusing'
AN ESTIMATE OF THE NORMAL POpULATION 5
information, however, occurred in the City of Bhavnagar, but such an exception
goes to prove the general success of the present Census.
8. An Estimate of the Normal PopulatioD.-The total or actual population
of the State as registered at the, present Census is 5,00,274 persons
of which 2,57,156 are males and 2,43,118 females. T~e enumeration books
record places of birth, but not the places of normal residence, and therefore,
afford no clue to the normal resident population of the State. But an estimate of
the normal population as distinguished from ~he. total popula~on recorded
on the Census Night can be had from the prehmmary enumeration. Because
the latter takes notice only of the permanent population living in houses situated
within a locality. The running and floating population and the outsiders who are
in the State at the time of the preliminary enumeration are not entered in
the schedules. The preliminary enumeration which records only the de jure
population may be regarded to make a closer approximation to the normal resident
population of the State which comes to 4,93,807 persons of which 2,54,598
are malcs and 2 39,209 females. The figures on the margin show the difference
between thc two' sets of figures, and represent 'the fluctuation in the population
during the interim
period. Out of a total
increase of 6,467
persons, as many as
3,239 are absorbed
by the City of
Bhavnagar. Apart
from its urban characteristic
the temporary
flow of immigration
to the
,capital of the State
at the works going
on in connection
with the Investiture
MAHAL
Total
 
[[File:   Capture62.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
of His Highness the Maharaja Saheb is in no small degree responsible for the
swelling of the City population. Fluctuations are more frequent in urban than
in rural areas; and this will be seen from an increase of only one person in the
preli!"ina~y populatio~ of the Daskroi Mahal excluding. the City of Bhavnagar.
But 10 thiS as well as In nearly all the other Mahals the Increase is partially due
to the return home of some of the normal residents from the neighbouring States
where they.had gone out on wedding parties at the time when the preliminary
record was m progress. The solitary exception to this rule of increase is furnished
by the Gadhada Mahal where the same cause seems to have operated in an
opposite direction.
I
9. Area and Population.-The present Census registers a total of
MAHAL
 
[[File:   Capture63.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
5,00,274 souls. The marginal
table shows the
figures of percentage distribution
of area and population
of the State in
each of its ten Mahals'
arranged in order of,
magnitude. A diagram
showing the relation between
the area and population
of the Mahals is also
given "below. Each white
pearl represents one per.;
th Stat d h ,cent. of the total area of
e e, an eac black pearl represents one per cent. of the total population. "
 
 [[File:   Capture64.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
10. More than half the area and population of the State are contained.
in the MalIals of Daskroi, Kundla, and Mahuva. More than 15 per cent. of the
total population live in the City of Bhavnagar including which the Mahal of
Daskroi appropriates to itself 21 per cent. of the total population. The Mahals
of Kundla and Mahuva have respectively 16 and 17; Talaja 10; Botad, Umra1a~
and Sihor each 7; and Lilia and Victor each 5 per cent. of the total population.
No great divergence between the percentage distribution of area and population
of the Mahals is noticed; and they follow practically the same order with this
difference that from the point of area Kundla takes precedence over Mahuva.
The Mahals of the State with the exception of Daskroi and Talaja can be con•
veniently arranged in three groups of three sizes each having Mahals with very
nearly the same area and population. MalIuva and Kundla each with nearly
17 per cent. of the total area and population will fall in the !Jrst group; Botad,.
Sihor and Umrala with 7 per cent. in the second; and Gadbada with 6 and
. Lili<J. and Victor each with 5 in the third

==MOVEMENT OF THE POPULATION==

11. Meaning of Movement.-By the movement of population is meant
the changes in the population of a unit area of land from Census to Census.
The term movement is not used, in the sense of physical movement denoting
the migration of people from one place to another and 'CIice versa. The latter
'will; however, form the subject matter of a later chapter relating to Birth,
place.•

12. Changes Since 1872.-The first synchronous Census of the Bhavnagar
State was taken with the first Imperial Census in 1872. The marginal
table illustrates that the history of the Bhavnagar State Census has been one of
alternate increase and decrease in its population. The 1891, 1911, and 1931
'Censu~ are the Censuses of increase, whereas those of 1881, 1901, and 1921
•are the Censuses of decrease in the State pgpulation. The movement of
THE PERIOD 1812-1911 7
population has been more or less uniform throughont all the MahaIs of the
State. With some
minor exceptions, an
increase or decrease
in the population of
the State has been
invariably accom•
panied by a correspondi
ng increase or
.decrease in the popu•
lation of its Mahala.

 [[File:   Capture65.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
13. The popu• 1931 5.00,274 +73.870 +17•3
lation of the State of
Bhavnagar as it stood
at the commencement of the Census era, i.e., in 1872 was 4,03,754 persons of
which 2 13 57l were males and 1,90,183 females. With the periods of alternate
rise and' fa'IJ it has at the present Census stood at 5,00,274, giving a net
increase of '96 520 persons or 23'9 per cent. during the last 59 years. Taking
the figures for 'the last fifty years, the rise is nearly one lac or 25 per cent.
There has thus been an average increase of 16,000 souls or 4 per cent. from
-Census to Census.

14. The Period 1872-1911.-The movement of the population of the
-State will now be considered in the light of the conditions prevailing during the
period 1872-1911. It may be asked: to wbat then is the variation in the popula.
tion of an area due? It results from the natural growth or otherwise of the
population by an increase or decrease of births over deaths which is due to various
causes i from a favourable or unfavourable balance due to an excess or deficit
of immigrants over emigrants i from better enumeration i and lastly from
changes in its boundaries. As regards the last mentionetl' factor, it may be briefly
stated that since the inception of the Census era, there has been very little change
in the boundaries of the State involving an increase or decrease in its population.
They have practically remained the same, the Revision Survey being responsible
for an increase of 101 square miles in its area. Regarding the accuracy
of enumeration, it may be noted that the first two Censuses of 1872 and 1881 must
have suffered from want of proper enumeration, as the complex machinery of the
Census in its present form was for the first time then set up in the State.
and also because the people being new to the Census idea may not have intelli.
gently co-operated in, if not actually opposed to the Census operations. Some
time must have. therefore. elapsed before it got into perfect working order. The
records of these two Censuses must have naturally suffered, as in the case of the
rest of India, from under•enumeration. But since the Census Report of
the State comes to be written for the first time on this occasion, it is hardly possible
to dip into the past to gauge the extent of this affection. By 1891,
as elsewhere, this State also got used to the working of the Census machinery i
and as will be seen from the returns of that year, omissions were reduced to a
minimum.

15. The rise and fall in the State population and their causes wil( now'
be discussed. The decrease of -85 per cent. revealed at the Census of .1881 was
due to the famine of 1878. 'But the decade 1881-91 was a period of rapid rise
. and recovery. It has been generally observed that birth•rate rises rapidly after a
period of heavy mortality due to war, disease or famine. Famine mortality is
high among the very young and the very old; and so when a period of famine is
followed by ~)De ~f plentiful rai!lfall an~ good crops as was~ case during 1881.91,
the populatIOn IDcre~ses rapidly owmg to an unusu~lly high proportion of
persons at reproductive ages. The movement of population received a great
. momentum aDd registered an increase of 16•7 per cent. in 1891 upon the popula8
CHAPTER I-DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENT OF THE POPULA nON
tion as returned in 1881 (4,00,323). The increase was alround. The solitary
exception to this tendency was, however, noticeable in the Mahal of Botad which
recorded a decrease of 1,714 persons. But this decline is not at all convincina at
a time when the whole of the State in general, and each of its Mahals in particular
showed. such an extraordinary onward movement. It can be attributed only
to inaccuracy in enumeration. No other intercensal period except the present
registers such a high percentage of increase in the State population. The truth
of this remark is horne out by examining the comparative figures of the population
of the Mahals as it stood in 1891 and 1931. The marginal statement
illustrates the unprecedented character of the 1891 Census, and points out•
that even with the impetus given to the
growth of numbers during the last
intercensal period, the Mahals of Sihor
and Victor have with difficulty succeeded
in attaining their 1891 level,
whereas the Mahals of Gadhada,
U mrala, and Lilia are still lagging behind.
But this spell of prosperity did
not last long. On the close of the
decennium that followed the Census of
1891, the Great Famine of 1900 popu-

 [[File:   Capture66.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
. larly known as the 'Chhapania,' notorious
for the intense misery and
irreparable loss it caused to' humanity
made its appearance. It came as a
great calamity and laid low the whole mass of population. History seems to repeat
itself in every sphere of human life, and . a period of heavy decrease
followed a period of heavy increase. There was a decrease in the popUlation of
all the Mahals of the State without a single exception. An increase of 16'6 per
cent. was followed by a decrease of nearly 12 per cent. But much of the ground
lost in 1901 was recovered at the Census of 1911, owing to the favourable aaricultural
conditions which prevailed during the greater part of the dece~nium
that followed the Big Famine. The damage that was wrought was indeed
far too widespread and intense for the loss and suffering involved to be made up
during the course of a single decade. Yet nearly half the loss sustained in 1900
was recuperated notwithstanding the ravages of plague which continued in milder'
form from 1905 to 1908, and a rise of 6'9 per cent. was the result. But this rise
was absent in the Mahal of Sihor which showed a negligible decrease of 232
souls.

16. Condition of the Period 1911-21.-The Census of 1921 pre•
cedes the decennium which is the subject matter of this Report,and should, therefore,
be reviewed in some detail. It is the Census of decreasing returns, and
registers a fall of 3'5 per cent. or 14,963 souls in the population of the State as
it stood in 1911. Much of the progress made at the last Census was set at
naught by the combined effects of a famine followed by plague and influenza
epidemics. But they have not affected the Mahal of Talaja and the flourishing.
Mahal of Botad which seem to have resolved to make up for their past arrears.
All seemed to go on well upto the year 1917, and the natural population
was increasing under the influence of favourable agricultural and economic conditions.
But suddenly the failure of crops was followed by plague, and before it
had disappeared, the monster of influenza raised its head, sweeping away a large
number of the population of reproductive ages. Both these pests exacted
a heavy toll all over the State, and were mainly responsible for the reduction of
population. There were other contributory causes also. It was a period
of great panic and uneasiness. The World 'War was raging on the European
battle-fields from 1914-19. The prices had gone enormously high; years were
lean; and living had become dear. These then were not the times which would
encourage any growth of population. To this should be added the effect of the•
migratory currents set into motion by the great impetus given by the war to the,
 
Indian trade and commerce. The artificial prosperity of the war time that had
seized the Indian trading and commercial centres and the boom period that
followed it, attracted the enterprising Bhavnagaris to the cities like Bombay and
Ahmedabad. This outward flow of the State population accounts to no mean
degree for the decline in the movement of population noticed in 192].

==THE PAST DECENNIUM 1921-30 ==
 
17. Changes prior to 1921 have been disposed of. The agricultural, industrial,
and the general physical conditions obtaining during the decade under
report will now be dealt with, in order that some idea can be had of the
causes that have promoted the growth of numbers during the past ten years.

18. Condition of Agriculture.-A description of the agricultural condition
during the past decennium must involve a discussion of the physical
condition and other problems that directly influence the extension, development
and normal progress of the cultivation of the soil, as also of the incidents that in.
directly contribute to the well.being and amelioration of the agriculturist
by improving and bettering his economic condition. Among the first will
be considered such questions as the land under cultivation, proportion of cultivat.
ed land to cultivable land, land under irrigation, the proportion of land
onder different kinds of crops, and rainfall. Among the second will be considered
the effects of such measures as credit c().()perative societies, and the Khedut
Debt Redemption Scheme.

19. Land under Cultivation.-With a negligible variation the lanel
under cultivation during 1921-31 practically remained the same. A slight increase
during 1925, raised the acreage for that year to 7,40,219. The following are
the figures of Darbari proper and Barkhali land in acres' for the year 1930:- .
 [[File:   Capture67.png   | |frame|500px]]

[[File:   Capture68.png   | |frame|500px]]   
    
 
20. Crops.-The Subsidiary Table gives figures of the mean density
per square mile of the total and cultivable area. The percen~es of cultivable
. and net cultivated area to the total are also shown. By gross cultivated'
pr total area sown or cropped is meant the net cultivated land plus the area
which is do.uble cropped. Thus by adding 7,796 acres which are double cropped
to 8,12,322 of netcultivated area, the figure of8, 20,118 acres under gross
cultivation is arrived. By' net cultivated' area is meant the gross cultivated
area minus the double cropped. During the year 1930, bajri, juwar and
other staple food stuffs were grown in 61 per cent. of the gross cultivated
area. Of the other produce, cotton came highest with 27 per cent., whereas
oilseeds, wheat and sugarcane were sown in 8, 4 and '1 per cent. of the total
cultivated area. Food stuffs daimed the highest percentage of the total sown
. area j and cotton more than one-fourth. But in the years 1924 and 1925 the
latter appropriated 36 per cent. of the total area under gross cultivation on
account of the high prices of cotton then ruling the market. At the commencement
of the decade, i.e., in 1921 cotton was grown in 1,70,170 acres, but the rising
tide of prices in 1922 increased the area in 1923 to 2,39,477 acres, which further
expanded to 3,15,991 and 3,15,929 acres in 1924 and 1925 respectively. But
with the fall in prices in 1926, it again fell to 2,76,544 acres and as low as
1,97,514 in 1929, when the prices were barely sufficient to cover the expenses of
-cultivation and leave a very narrow margin of profit. The marginal table gives
 [[File:   Capture69.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
the figures in acres of
different kinds of crops
sown from 1920-1930.
Food stuffs have been
increasiguly sown during
1929 and 1930.
The area under wheat
cultivation was at its
highest in 1929, and
with bajri and ju'War
. claimed 68-8 per cent,
of the gross cultivated
area. Area under oilseeds
and sugarcane
showed slight fluctua-
. tions, in response to
the rise in prices, by showing an increase in the area sown. During the decade,
the total area sown including the double cropped has shown a steady rise. From
6,87,836 acres in 1921 it has come upto 8,20,118 acres in 1930, and in 1924 and
~925 when the prices ruled highest it went up to 8,68,246 .and 8,79,144 acres
respectively. The effect of a rise in the level of prices is seen from the increasing
area of laNd thus brought under cultivation. The diagram opposite illustrates
the variation in the gross cultivated area, and the area under the different kinds
of crops from year to year. 


21. Rainfall.-.' Rainfall has much• fo •dO willi determining the agricultural
-condition during the intercensal period. Many other factors as prices, market and
freedom from pests like locusts also enter into the successful termination of an
agricultural season. The Subsidiary Table VII at the end of the Chapter gives
the figures cif rainfall in the Mahals of the State since the year 1885.. Figures
•of . average rainfall for 35 and 45 years from 1885, as also for the past decade
are :also shown. In the curve on the opposite page are plotted for the State
the figures of annual average rainfall in inches for 1921-30; the lines of
normal rainfall and average decennial rainfall areaIso plotted. It is hardly
necessary 'to emphasize the uncertain• and erratic nature of the monsoon
in. the State., . The. vagaries of the Indian monsoon :are too well-known
to be mentioned. It should be only pointed out that a high average does not
necessarily suggest a successful season, nor a low average a lean year. What
.teally counts in India is not the average amount of rainfall in a particular locality,
 [[File:   Capture70.png   | |frame|500px]]   
[[File:   Capture71.png   | |frame|500px]]

but the number of effective days which received timely and well-distributed rains.
Given this a successful agricultural season is assured. High amount of rainfall
either at the commencement or close of the season without proper rains during:
the interval will spell disaster to the agriculturist, though some rain is better than
no rain. For, a heavy rainfall, even though it does not benefit the khari! crops.
will eventually prove beneficial by giving the prospects of a good ram season.
Years from 1922 to 1925 and the year 1930 were years of low average rainfall"
the year 1923 coming the lowest with an average of only 13 inches. During the'
rest of the years, it rained pretty well above the decennial average. But the
former were not necessarily the years of fruitless cultivation. On the contrary
owin<1 to the high level of prices during the first quinquennium, particularly
during the years 1924 and 1925, the agriculturists were enabled to secure greater
returns for their labour. The area under cultivation during these two years
correspondingly increased. The years 1921 to .1?23 proved .to be exceptionally'
good years. Bumper crops of ,uwar and bfZjN accompamed by a very good
wheat crop-both irrigated and unirrigated-in 1921 were followed by a very good
yield of cotton, and the cultivators could reap a harvest beyond their expectations.
But the bad years of 1923 and 1924 were averted by an extraordinary
rise in prices. Despite scanty rainfall which appeared in the June of 1925, and
did not tum up afterwards except in the Mahals of Botad, Talaja, and Mahuva,.
the land yielded a fair harvest, cotton being better beyond expectations owing
to the cloudy weather which prevailed for the greater part and kept the young
plants alive till the ripening time. Except the year 1930 which was 'not good
in some places, the rest of the decade was on the whole satisfactory and marked.
by conditions which made good the loss in the growth of one crop from another
and rendered cultivation profitable by rise in prices, especially in that of'
cotton.

22. Irrigation.-Irrigation is one of the factors that facilitate the expansion
and growth of agriculture. It enables an increased area of land to be brought:;:
under cultivation, and serves to counteract the effects of, paucity and irregularity'
of rains. The result is seen in better and greater amount of produce yielded by.
the soil and its consequent effects upon the growth of numbers. WeIJ irrigation,
is the main source of irrigating the land of the State. There are as many as.
12,147 wells in the Sta~e distribu.ted as shown in t~e density map facing page 30;
Thanks to the very ltberal poltcy of the State 10 encouraging agriculture and
assisting the khedtlt to ameliorate his condition, loans on easy terms are made tohi~
t~ dig new wells, and thus to enable. him t? inc.rease the output of crop. All'
Irrlgatton Department has been brought lOto belOg smce 1928, and various projects,
for increasing the supply of water have been surveyed. But the absence.
of rivers with perennial water flow is a great obstacle
in the way of successful launching of any useful
Iarge-scale scheme of dam irrigation which alone
can benefit the agriculturist. The Ramdhari Irrigation
Tank has been supplying water to some of
the lands in the Mahals of Sihor and Umrala. The
marginal statistics show the area of lands irrigated
by the tank and the income derived therefrom
since 1925.
 [[File:   Capture72.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
23. Agricultural Indebtedneu.-Seeing that the peasantry of the Statewas
sinking deeper and deeper into the mire of indebtedness, the Darbar appointed
in 1922, a committee" to inquire into the problem of agricultural indebtedness
and suggest remedial measures which would grant some relief to the Kheduts in
their 'present desperate economic condition and minimise the risks of their being
explOIted and taken undue advantage of by unscrupulous Sowcars."l The investigations
of the Committee are embodied in the Report and Evidence Volumes.
 
submitted by it to the Darbar. The following statement reproduced from the
Report throws vivid light upon the extent and nature of indebtedness in the
State:-
 [[File:   Capture73.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
It was found that 30 per cent. of the kheduts were hopelessly involved in
debt, and that their condition was such as to give cause for grave anxiety. And
so foreseeing the necessity of timely action, if an acute agrarian crisis were to be
averted, the Chairman of the Committee, Dewan Bahadur Tribhuwandas, recommended
as follows in his Preliminary Minute :-
[[File:   Capture74.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
.. (i) Where it is possible, endeavours shoald be made to liquidate the past debts of the
Kheduts and for this the co•operatiou of the merchants shoald be ealisted.
(ii) Where in future suits are filed against Kheduts the law shoald be so ameuded as to
enable .the courts to examine the whole history of the transactions oat of which the sait has
arisen, in order to find oat the additions by way of interest and premiam and the maDipalations
in acconnts, and finally to make an equitable award fair to both sides:' 1
But at the same time, he expressed himself in no uncertain terms as to the
futility of replacing the Sahukar, referring to whom, he wrote:- .
.. The whole question is very complicated. The financial relations of the lender and
borrower, a very delicate matter always, are involved therein. Kheduts do need the help of
money• lenders every now and then. The money-lender is a vital and indispensable factor iri
the village•economy and the Darhar cannot replace him. In this dilemma, I believe the
best course woald be to take such steps as are indicated by the needs of the situation,
ultimately with a view to restore both parties to their former position of mutual trust and
service, without exploitation on the ODe side and victimization on the other. Moreover we
cannot connive at and condone the practices hrought to light during the Committee's inquiry.
If that he allowed, the conditions of the Khedats woald soon worsen and economic rain
overtake the whole class, which woald again react on the money•lenders themselves and involve
them in heavy losses.'" , . .
The President of the Council took prompt action to pasS the necessary
legislation and push forward without the least delay the Debt Redemption
Scheme whereby it was proposed to settle private outstanding debts of the agri-
1. KMd14t Debt lnqu~ Committee Report, p. 116.
2. 11M.
CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES 11
culturists so as to enable the money-lenders to recover a fair proportion
of the original principal amount together with a moderate rate of interest. It was
a very summary and exemplary piece of legislation of far-reaching consequences,
combining i~tion with foresight. With one stroke of pen, it embarked upon
the noble task of liberating the cultivator from the economic bondage of
the money-lender. The investigations into the existing obligations were to
be made at the joint request of the kheduts and money-lenders, according to
the rules framed on the lines of the Deccan Agriculturist's Relief Act, by a
special committee, popularly known as the ' Karaj 'committee. At the time of
writing this Report, the whole of the Lilia Mahal has been redeemed from
all private debts. A sum of Rs. 9,95,463 that was owing to the Sahukars by the
agriculturists of that Mahal according to the account books of the former
was reduced to Rs. 4,64,559, when the accounts were taken by the Committee. It
was, however, the basic principle of the payment made by the Darbar on behalf
of the khedut that the amount advanced by them on behalf of a particular
khatedar for compounding all his debts should in no case exceed three times the
annual assessment payable by him. The sum thus advanced was apportioned
among the money-lenders in proportion to the amount found due to each, in full
payment of all existing liabilities of the khedut. The application of this rule
further reduced the liability of the kheduts of the Mahal of Lilia to Rs. 2,61,427
only. Similar work is in progress in the MahaI of U mrala also. This bold and
constructive policy cannot but result in great economic improvement of the
peasantry of the State. •
24. Co-operative Societies.-Among the factors that tended to promote
agriculture during the past decade, the starting of agricultural credit co-operative
societies was one. The beginning was first made in the year 1918, but as thelegis.
Iation then promulgated in this behalf did not embody true principles of co-operation,
they ~ere all doomed to failure, and had to be closed. A renewed attempt
was made In 1923, when a new enactment based on sound co-operative principles
was passed. Since then the societies have shown, steady progress. The'
marginal table tells its own tale and needs no comment. The recent co-operative
legislation provides for
a loan to the society
equal to the amount,
but not exceeding
Rs. 2,000 raised by it,
and a bonus of 20 per
cent. on the sum raised
within the first
two years of its birth.
But this generous
and liberal offer made
by the Darhar has
not been folly availed
.of by the societies.
For, had it been so,

 
 
the rillage economy of rllral India, and so despite the crushing burden of interest
which is charged by him no khedut is willing to snap the ties that exist between
him and the Sahukar. But recourse to co-operative credit after the peasant is.
once free from all his past debts owing to the latter, as seen in the preceding
para, cannot but result in making him economically independent and prosperous.
The promotion of credit co-operative societies is thus one of the means, and by
no means an unimportant one, whereby the khedut can extricate himself from
being exploited by the unscrupulous money-lender.

. 25.  Means . Communication.-Like .irrigation, fa~ilities of transport
serve to mlDlmlse the III effects of shortage of ram and of famme by acting as a
remedial measure. It also encourages the distribution and the consequent movement
of population from one place to another. Bhavnagar State owns its.
own railway which intersects every Mahal of the State. With the exception of a
small tract between Mahuva and Talaja it encircles the whole of the State territories.
The construction of this piece of railway is also under consideration. It
. . will be seen from the figures on the 

[[File:   Capture75.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
 
margin that the total mileage of 217'29
in 1921 increased to 341'75 in 1931.
The volume of passenger and goods.
traffic also shows a significant rise.
Though the number of first" and second
class passengers has considerably
dwindled, that of the third class
passengers who form the bulk of the
travelling public and indicate the real
movement of population, has remarkably
increased. The goods traffic
measured in tons carried has gone up•
from 2,73,452 in 1921 to 3,94,942 in
1931. The mileage of the various
branches is'also shown in the marginal
table. Pucca metalled roads to the
extent of 274 miles pass through the
Mahals, and cart tracts join one village
to another. Still there is much to be
desired by way of metalled roads at
many places. Tbe expansion of the•
means of communications, especially
the rail roads has greatly facilitated the
growth of trade and commerce, .and
encouraged the distribution and movement
of the population of the State, during the past decennium.

26. Vital Statistics.-The growth of population is ultimately' determined
by the difference between the numbers born and the numbers who die and by the
balance of migration, i. e., the difference between the immigrants and emigrants.
The former involves a discussion of the vital statistics which will now occupy .
our attention. But before analysing the figures of births and deaths and their'
rates, an estimate of the value of the statistics obtained should be made. The
statistics of vital occurrences are anything but complete. This is a drawback
which' is general and common to all parts of India to a greater or less extent.
The proper and complete registration and compilation of all .vital statistics is
indeed vital to any civilized society; and every endeavour should be made to
ensure it. Much depends upon the sense of civic responsibility of the people
without whose co-operation statistics cannot be accurately recorded. But that
this sense has. not been sufficiently awakened will be seen by analysing the fi!!llres
obtained from the Municipality of Bhavnagar City, the greater number of ;hose
citizens are enlightened and educated. As against 7,422 births registered during
the period 1921-1930, there are as many as 18,002 deaths, a net loss of 10,580:'
 
.lives in the natural population of the City., But this is far from the truth! as the
population of Bhavnagar records an increase of,15,1~1 or 25 per '7n~. dunng the
t decennium which is not all due to immIgration. The statistics that have
I:"en compiled 5~oul~ therefore, ~ put to 31 limited and cautious use and no
sweeping generaitsatJOns should he mdulged III. As absol~te ~u~bers they ~ould
be deemed useless, and should serve the purpose only of mstituting ~ompansons
and gauging tendencies. The records tell us that the reports of births are less
accurate than the reports of deaths; and that the male births are ,more readily
reported than the female, as the latter are less favourably received than the
former.
 
[[File:   Capture76.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
The incompleteness of vital registration will he demonstrated by the
Subsidiary Table printed above which institutes a comparison between the in
•(:rea~ or dec~ease in the popUlation of the State as resulting from an excess or
defiCiency of births over deaths and actual growth of population during the intercensai
period. As against a total enumerated increase of 73 S70 a balance of
7,971 bir,ths over deaths is the result. The peculiar case of the 'City has already
been notIced.

27. The marginal statistics of the birth and death rates dllring the past
. de~a~e are ,given for t~e State i.n general and the Mahal of Botad in particular.
OrIgmaily It was our Idea to gIve the rates for all the Mahals of the State.
But it has now been
~ropped owing to their
Incompleteness. As it
has been found that the
births and deaths have
been better recorded in
Botad than In a.ny• other
Mahal of the State;their
rates have been shown
side by side with, those
for'the State for ,the
purposes of comparison.
This will be proved by
 [[File:   Capture77.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
ntes during the decade which are. loS for the State, and comparing their survival
. . '. . 9'5 for ._B' Q.~.t a- d.. These . ..:.
,
 
rates are the numbers per mille who are born or die or survive in the population
recorded at the Census of 1921. The survival rate represents the difference
between the birth-rate and death.-rate, and is the mean of the last ten years.
The Botad rate makes a fair approach to accuracy_ For, while according to the
general rate of survival the natural population of the State as it was in 1921
will gain 797 per year, according to the Botad rate it will increase at the rate of
4,047 per year j and the present Census which registers an increase of 73 870
'has shown that the actual or total population including the foreign bo~ ~
increased at the rate •of 7,387 persons per year_ The Bombay rates 1 have
been shown side by side with the State rates in order that a clear idea can be
had of the degree of incompleteness of the latter_
 
 [[File:   Capture78.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
. 28. The foregoing curves show the movement of birth-rate and death-rate
during 1921-30 for the State, Bombay Presidency, and the. Mahal of Botad.
The death curve for •the State shoots upwards in 1921, 1922, 1926, 1929 and
1930. The first two years represent the effects of the influenza of 1918 which
greatly impaired the vitality of the people, and lowered the birth-rate which has.
travelled upward only after 1922 since when it has been steadily rising. The
relatively higher death-rate in 1929 and 1930 is due to the effects, as will be seen
in the following para, of malaria and influenza. The greater accuracy of the
 [[File:   Capture79.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
Botad curves will be apparent from. t~eir continuously ~avelling apart like those
of the Bombay Presidency. But this IS not the case WIth the State curves, as
they are far less accurate .than those for Bombay and Botad. •
29. Public Health.-The state of public health during the intercensal
period plays no mean part in measuring the ~owth of the pop~ation. Because
any disturbance in the health of the people will have very obvIOUS effects u~n
their fertility and vitality and swing back the pend~lum of grow.th, a~d result 1D
the reduction of numbers, as was the case after the mfluenza epidemiC of 1918.
On the whole the public heal th was well maintained during the ten years that
passed, as checks to population in the form of famine and pestilence did not
make their appearance.

SUBSIDIARY TABLE III
ACTUAL NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM VARIOUS CAUSES RECORDED IN EACH
 [[File:   Capture80.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
~
The relevant statistics of deaths from various causes as recorded in each
year from 1921-30 are given in the foregoing Subsidiary Table. Under "other
causes" are shown cases of accidents, poisoning, suicide, injuries, as also of other
types of illness not specifically mentioned. The diagram on the opposite page
shows the curves of deaths from the principal diseases, and all causes combined.
The total number of reported births and deaths during 1921-30 are also shown.
The traces of the two epidemics, vis., plague and influenza, which visited
the State during the decade 1911-21 may well be noticed first. Influenza which
followed in the wake of plague and whose toll of life was simply staggering
must have remained with us like the plague in an endemic but milder form after
its first virulent attack in 1918. This is amply demonstrated by the curve of the
birth-rate remaining low even in 1921-22. But no case of death from this disease
ha~ bee~ rep~rte~ owing t? the want of proper machinery ~or registering deaths
which IS ordinarily left ID the hands of the uneducated village officials. Many
of the diseases like influenza, phthisis, etc., therefore, pass off under the more
general heading • fever' which claimed as many as 47,179 lives, out of a total
number of 74,955 deaths recorded during the decade. Reported deaths from
fever were tolerably high during the years 1922, 1929 and 1930. But plague which
it is easier to distinguish from fever than influenza seems to have been properly
recorded. It was prevalent during the first three years, and began to wane from
1922. Out of a total of 863 lives which it claimed during the decade, as many
as 861 cas.es belon~ to years 1921-23. 8,354 persons were reported to have died
from respiratory diseases. Smallpox claimed 3,981, its quota being the highest
 
>in 1929and amounted to 1,111.' ConsUmption also claimed a fair number of
2,562. Malaria which is prevalent during the greater part of the year and more
especially during the monsoon was disguised under 'fevers' and not 'separately
registered. Malaria as, a calIse of death is not of very great importance. On
this side of the country, the disease does not prove fatal, as is the case in 'Bengal
unless other complications in the form of attacks by pneumonia and typhoid
fevers supervene. But its indirect effect upon the health of the population is
,great. It saps vitality, reduces fertility and resisting power of the people
and disturbs the tenor of steady economic development by impairing their physicai
vigour. Except• for the first and last two years of the decade the health of the
people seems to have been on the whole satisfactory, and no disturbing element
.seems to have interfered with an even growth of population.

30. Prices and Wages.-Prices and wages by themselves mean nothing
-unless they are taken in conjunction with production and demand on the one
hand, and the cost, and standard of living on the other. But it is not possible to
enter here into all these intricate details. Only the trend of prices and wages
•during the decade as affecting the mode of living and the growth of numbers will
,be considered here. Higher prices stimulate production and commercial activity
-only if there is a demand for things produced. Lower prices of food stuffs d~
not necessarily mean cheap living, if the cost of production is not proportionately
reduced. For, in modern times when civilization harbours ideas of a higher stan-<
lard of living by increasing the individual requirements, fall in prices of food,
stuffs alone canpot prove profitable. On the contrary, low prices of food-stuffs
and other artiCles of necessity will not benefit an agricultural society, if there is
not a corresponding fall in the expenses of cultivation. It will spell nothing but
-disaster to the agriculturist, if his labours are not repaid by a level of prices
'sufficient to cover the cost of tilling and leave him a fair margin of profit. Again
,the trend of wholesale and retail prices is not the same. A fall in the former is
.not always accompanied by a corresponding fall in the latter. Because retail
:prices will take some time to adjust themselves to the rising or falling level of
'w holesale prices. The first half of the decennium was marked by a rise in prices
in general which mounted the peak of prosperity in 1925, the year 1924-25 being
•,the year of exceptionally high prices. So far as the prices of food•stuffs and
fodder were concerned, there was in that single year a rise of 14 and 15 per cent.
respectively. An abnormal rise in the prices of commercial commodities like
•cotton ranging from Rs. 10 to Rs. 24 per maund of 40 Ibs. and of treacle from Rs. 6
1:0 Rs. 8 as also the greater value realised from oil seeds during the six years in
•the midst of the past decennium greatly enlarged the earnings of the agriculturists.
The fall commenced from 1925-26, when the prices began to decline steadily.
In some commodities, it asserted the pre-war level of 1914. The October of 1929
was marked by a new and heavy fall in prices, especially of food grains which
•continued even in 1930. The fall was due to the world conditions which were
beyond the control of any country'- This alround wave of depression has been
.attributed to general over-production both of raw materials and industrial prO.
.ducts, as also to the insufficient production and unequal distribution of gold for the
.general requirements of the world as a whole.

With the rise in prices had set in the rise in the wages of skilled and
'unskilled labour. But the fall in wages was not .quick to follow the decline in the
level of prices. They showed a remarkable rise upto 1922; and the last mentioned
year alone was responsible for an increase of. 17 per cent. in the wages of
'skilled and unskilled workmen. The fall in wages, both skilled and unskilled,
-commenced since 1923, and c~ntinued upto 1928. The daily wages of a carpenter
or a mason which had risen to Rs. 2-8 in many places in the Mahals and
-especially in the City, respectively fell to an average of Re. 1-6 and Re. 1-1. The
wages of an agri.cultural labourer fell from 6-8 annas to 3-4, annas per diem. The
wages thus very nearly touched the pre-war level. Looking to the,trend of wages
since 1921, it is also found that the wages of skilled labour took greater time to'
fall than. those of the unskilled. "

THE IlIDUSTRIAL A~"D COMMERCIAL PROGRESS .19
The eConomic Conditions of the period under report were thus on the
whole favourable to cheap and easy living, and it was only during the last two
ears that the heavy slump in prices made it a little less attractive. As com~
ared to 1911.21, when for the greate~ ~rt of the d~de the prices were highly
inflated owing to abnormal war conditl~ns, the penod ~921~31 was mor~ conducive
to the growth of a peaceful commumty, as lower pnces put less strain upon:
the nerves of the people.

31. The Industrial aud Commercial Progress.-After considering the
agricultural condition of the period the advancement of trade, commerce, and
industries deserves to be briefly surveyed. 1£ the general and agricultural conc1i.
tions of the decade were on the whole satisfactory, the course of industrial and
commercial progress was marked by st.riking. rapic1ity. During the past decen•
nium, to the existing spinning and weavmg mIll l'!l:ated at ~havnagar, another
spinning mill was added at Mahuva, due to the Impetus given by the post.war
period which was characterised by high prices of cotton. The figures on the
margin disclose the increasing industrial development of the State in spite of the
PLACES WHERE SITUATED
 [[File:   Capture81.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
stringency of money market prevailing all the world OVer. The Swadeshi move•
ment inducing the growth of indigenous industries brought a new life to the goods
of Indian make especially in the production of Khac1i cloth and cotton piece
goods. The New Jehangir Vakil Mills Co. which manufactures cotton yarn and
grey and bleached piece goods increased the output of cloth from 14,59,742 in.
1920 to 28,11,118 lbs. in 1930, .nearly double their former annual production.
The number of looms and spindles corresponc1ingly increased from 337 and
19,600 to 727 and 29,138 respectively. The average number of persons.
employed rose from 864 to 1,245. There are 10 cotton presses, 4 being at
Bhavnagar, 2 at Mahuva, 3 at Botad, and 1 at Kundla. Ginning factories are
scattered over all the Mahals. Out of a total number of 30, the prospering cotton
growing and selling tract of Botad alone possesses 7. Of the remainder, 4 are at
Bhavnagar, 6 at Mahuva, 2 each at Rajula, Dungar and Vijapac1i, 3 at Kundla~
1 at Lilia, 1 at Madhada, 1 at Dhola, and. 1 at Gadhada. In the words of the
Administration Report for 1930, this state of increased industrial activities has.
led to .. hand weaving showing signs of a sort of revival for some time past. As
a consequence, the gold lace pachhedis, silk bordered dlloters, and thick covering
sheets of cotton cloth known as cllo/als produced by the weavers of Kundla fetch
better prices. The stout woollen blankets of Gadhada and the carpets and bed
covers dyed in variegated colours produced by the Khatris of SihorUmrala and
Vartej are more in demand than they were some time ago,'" On a~count of the
greater demand made upon the hand•made khadi, the khac1i-making concerns
have ~sen from 3 in. 1920 to 11 in 1930. There are also 1,992 hand.looms of which 132 are worked by fly.s~uttles, 5,121 spinning wheels, and 293 hand~
us. ~he a1round progress .a~d reVival of home industries during the past decennium
,Will be ~n f~m Subsi~ary Table VII in Chapter VIII-Occupation. But
at thiS place, It Will be suffiCient to note that the khadi cloth produced in 1920-
21 was oll:ly 93,839 lbs. as compared to 3,38,107 lbs. in 1929-30. The number
of flour mills was also 011: the increase, as also that of the oil mills which had gone:
1. VUU Po 51.
 
up from 6 to 10. The pretty wooden and ivory toys which would be the pride
of any workman are as popular as ever, and 57 families are engaged in this work
of which 25 belong to Mahuva alone. Skill of Sihor coppersmiths in the preparation
of brass and copper household utensils and other wares continues to be
admirable, and Sihor alone has got 100 families engaged in this industry, out of
a total of 194 for the whole State. There are other industries which have got a
bright future before them. Kundla prepares iron wares and is specially noted
for its scales. The starting of a match factory by an enterprising merchant is
under consideration. The salt industry has got great future prospects as the
State has of late been permitted like Okha to export salt to Bengal and Burma
by sea. But the present out-tum should be increased and improved upon before
this concession can be availed of with advantage. For, the Bengalis who are used
to white and refined salt from Lancashire will not readily buy salt from the State
4gars whose salt is mixed with other impurities like gypsum, etc. There is
another direction also in which industrial advancement is possible. The Khara
roil at Patna has been found to be a good basis for manufacturing soda-ash
bleaching powder, caustic soda, etc. The 18 to 20 square miles of natron soil
with ~most an ine~haustible supply of. underground wa~er and natural advantage
. .of havmg soda-ash m the crude form direct from the soIl can be advantageously
utilized, if the initial ~xperiments prove successful. There are two Chemical
Works at Vartej in the Mahal of Daskroi which manufacture all kinds of tinctures,
liniments, and other pharmaceutical and chemical preparations. The
works are supplying medicines to various States in Kathiawarand parts of British
India. The Electric Supply Company which started work during the past decade
has extended its activities and is supplying motive power to the factories in the City.
This state of affairs betokens an era of great industrial development and progress.
32. The commercial advancement of the State has played no mean part
in the growth of population during the decennium under report. Its contribution
towards the growth of the population of the City of Bhavnagar in particular and
the State in general cannot be underestimated. Never has the State of Bhavna!!ar
-experienced years of such extraordinary commercial expansion which was foste~ed
and nurtured by the wise and foreseeing statesmanship of its rulers. The Port of
Bhavnagar has undergone great transformation, and the facilities of transport in
the shape of railway communications, financial help to merchants in the shape of
loanson easy terms by the State Bank on the security of goods imported coupled
with the advantage of a bonded ware-house have during the past 10 years attract-
ed a considerable amount of trade, foreign and coastal, to its harbour. The
Department of Commerce and Industries for the first time brought into heing as a
trial measure for two years in 1922, was found necessary and useful and made
permanent. Large consignments of articles of foreign produce or manufacture
like sugar, coal, hardware, .haberdashery, glassware, piece-goods, rice, timber,
,iron, metal sheets, wet and dry dates, paper, etc., are now imported to Bhavnagar •wa Bombay or direct from foreign ports. In 1923-24 only 5 ocean liners visited
Bhavnagar, but the close of the decade saw the Port visited by 53 ocean liners
•of which 18 brought sugar, 11 dce and timber, 3 coal, and 21 iron from the
Continent. In addition to the above, the steamer "Skrimer" made 6 trips with
.coal from Calcutta for the Bhavnagar State Railway. A clear idea of the
,growth of the sea-borne trade of Bhavnagar during the past decennium, will be
afforded by the marginal statement reproduced from the Administration
 [[File:   Capture82.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
Report,1929-30. It supplies the figures of
the total value of exports and imports during
the period 1920-30. The rapid expansion of
maritime trade which commenced since
1917 continued unabated during practically
the whole of the past decade. If necessary
allowance be made for the difference in the
level of prices ruling the market at the
beginning and end of the past decennium, it
will appear that both the export and import
trade was steadily on the increase. If the
 
year 1929-30 which was affected by an abnormal fall in the level of prices be left
<lut of account, the imports rose from Rs. 2,84,27,171 in 1921 to Rs. 3,49,55,364
in 1928-29. But the increase will be found to be much more, if measured in
tenns of commodity as the price level was higher in 1921 than in 1929. The
exports also correspondingly increased, the very low figure for 1929-30 being
due to the unfavourable cotton season which reduced the export of cotton
bales by 10 1 lacs.

The industrial and commercial activities of the past decennium outlined
above were mainly instrumental in attracting a fair number of immigrants to this
State, more particularly to the City of Bhavnagar. They account to no mean
extent for the growth of numbers revealed at the current Census.

==VARIATION IN THE POPULATION OF THE STATE AND MAHALS==
33. Variation during 1921-1931.-Against the background of the
general, physical, agricultural, and economic conditions which have been succinctly
depicted should be presented the discussion of the changes in the population
of the State and Mahals during the past decennium. There is an increase of
73,870 or 17•3 per cent. in the total population of the State as it stood in 1921.
The conditions outlined in the preceding paras bear ample testimony to their
exhilarating effect upon the growth of numbers during the decade under report.
It is a record rise in the State population ever since the commencement of the
Census era. No other intercensal period has had the good fortune of registering
6uch a high percentage or numerical rise in the State population. The rise is
uniform all throughout the State. The net variation by way of increase during'
 
the past fifty years comes 'to '25 per cent. or 99,951 souls. The City of Bhavnagar
and the Mahals of Daskroi and Botadhaveeach risen over 25 per cent. Ma:,
huva ~d Kundla Mahals have risen respectively by 16:3 and 17,6 per cent., TaJaja
by 11 5 per cent" whereas no,other Mahal shows a rise of less than 10 per cent.
The diagram on page 21 illustrates the percentage variation in the population by
Mahals, from the figures of 1921 adjusted upon the basis of areas as they stood"
in 1931. ,

[[File:   Capture83.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
34. Variation in Population by MahaIs,-The movement of the State
population has been considered, It will now be worthwhile to notice its variation
by ~~hal~,. The follov:ing Subsidiary Ta,ble supplies the, figures of percentage
variatIOn In the population of the State, City and Mahals In relation to density
since 1881.

[[File:   Capture84.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
 
35, Diagram.-On the opposite page is given the diagram showing the
variation in the population of the State and Mahals since 1881. It will help the
understanding of the review that follows.

[[File:   Capture85.png   | |frame|500px]]   
[[File:   Capture86.png   | |frame|500px]]   

 
36. Daskroi Mahal.-The fate of the Daskroi Mahal has been mixed up
with that of the City of Bhavnagar, whose progressive growth has influenced the
movement of its population, The City may well be referred to in brief, deferring
its treatment in details to the next chapter. A rise or fall in its population has
responded to a rise or fall in the general population, though of course, not to the ..
same extent. Whenever there has been a rise, the City'S rise has been greater
than that of the State, whereas its fall has been smaller than that of the State.
Subsidiary Table IV will clearly illustrate this point, This is due to the
growing, character of the capital and the greater resisting power of the urban
population. Bhavnagar has been an emporium of trade, the growth of its port
during the past decade being responsible for an unprecedented rise in its popUlation.
During the past decade alone it bas grown by 25 per c~nt., while during
the last half a century it has added 27,802 souls or risen by 58 per cent. Excluding
the City, the decrease in the population recorded during the decade 1911-21,
when it was hard hit by influenza came up to 7'6 per cent. But the resisting,
power of the people of the Mabal which was greatly impaired since the Chhapania
Famine remarkably improved during the last ,intercensal period when it
registered an increase of 27'6 per cent" while the net increase during the last fifty,
years is found to be 6,102 or 23'5 per cent.
 
37. Sihor MahaL-It ia an old Mahal of the State' and was once the
'seat of the Ruling Family before the present capital was founded. D~ the
last fifty years, the population of this Mahallike others that ,,!iIl be conslCiered
hereafter reached its zenith in 1891, but suffered a heavy fall In 1901. It' has
failed to come up to that ,level even during th7 present C~DSUS when. it ~ds
at 34471 and faUs short of It by 313 persons. Smce 1891 Its population IS on
the d~line, and it was the only Mahal along with Daskroi which showed a fall of
'0'74 per cent. in its population, when all the other Mahals of the State recorded
varying degrees of progress in 1911. Along side with the effects of famine and
plague are to be seen the influences of the migratory tendency of the inhabitants
.of the Mahal who went out to Bombay and Rangoon and other industrial centres
for earning their livelihood. But in 1921 when this outward flow was at its
nighest throughout the Mahals of the State, and when mortality from influenza
greatly reduced the population of some of the Mahals, a very small decrease of
'5 per cent. only was registered in the population of Sihor. In 1931,a rlseof 3,938
.or 12'8 per cent. is returned, whereas the net gain from 1881 to 1931 is 4;527 or
15'1 per cent.

38. Umrala Mahal.-Like, Sihor, Umrala is also o~e of.th~oldest
Mahals of the State, and enjoyed the favour of being the original seat of the
Gohel dynasty of Bhavnagar. It falls in line with Sihor in not coming upte the
level of 1891 to a greater extent than Sihor. In that significant year the population
of the Mahal was 41,072, upon which the present figure shows a d~ficit of
5,995 persons. It lost 14'5 and 13'2 per cent. respectively at the Censuses, of
1901 and 1921 owing to the Great Famine and influenza. To this should be
added a succession of lean years, and reduced fertility of the soil, all of ,which
jointly conspired to reduce the vitality and staying power of the people of this
Mahal. But the period 1921-31 sees it successful in regaining much of the lost
,ground which is covered with an increase of 3,388 or lO'7 per cent. over the
population of 1921. The incubus is gradually raising itself, though the effects
of the past sufferings are stilI there, and are visible from th~ percentage of increase
at this Census being the lowest in this Mahal. The net increase in its populatipn'
.is, however, 1,538 or 4'6 per cent. during the last fifty years. '" ,


39, Gadhada Mahal,-Gadhada finishes' the trio of those Mahils of the
Northern Division whose present population shows a decline on the figure' of'
1891. It seems to have been the most hard hit by the famine of 1900 which:
must be held responsible for the loss of 22'4 per cent" the highest of all the
Ma,hals, w,hic~ it ,suffered at the Cens,!s of 1901. But during the br.eathing
period which It gamed from 1901-1911, It struggled bravely for a recuperation of•
11'4 per cent. Then a loss of 5'8 per cent. from influenza was followed by a
,gain of 11'8 per cent. at the present Census. A deficit of 2 294 souls over its
population as it stood in 1891 and a net losS of 143 for the past fifty years are
not a'very pleasing spectacle for the Mahal of Gadhada. The effects of i900
visitations are still there, though they are gradually disappearing. Nature's share
jn bringing about this result is not small. A series of bad years on account of
the failing and decreasing rainfall and a population laid low by the effects of
famine hav~ greatly checked an ev~~ growth of numbers. The figures of rainfall
for this Mahal show very strikmg results. The average rainfall for the 35
and 44 years from 1885 works out to be 17'13 and 17'78 inches respectively"
whereas the average for the past .ten years has gone down to 14'7 inches. Th~
soil of this Mahal is in no way inferior, and is in some way superior to some of
~he oth~r Mahals like Daskr~i, and Talaja. But to have good lands is by itself
msu~clent, For, the prospenty of an ~gric~lturai tract is mainly dependent upon
&uffi~le":cy ~f ramfaII ~celved at required Int~s without which unhampered
cultivatIOn IS not poSSible: Gadhada has been deprived of this bounty of Nature,
and hence the results noticed above. But the opening of the railway line from
Nmgala to Gadhada, and the tedencies to revival shown by this Mahal at 'every,
.alternat,e Census allay to some extent suspicions' about the future course of its
populatiOn. . .
 
40. Botad MahaL-Botad is now one of the progressive Mahals of the
State. The cause for apprehension which it gave in 1891 when it had been
singled out for a decrease of 1,714 or 5'7 per cent., and that too at a time when
the rest of the Mahals had shown remarkable advance in their population is.
removed by the subsequent movement of its population. This departure fro~ a
uniform rising tendency exhibited by Botad in 1891 is rather hard to explain
away easily. The failure of rains in the year preceding the Census of 1891 when
it received only 8'40 inches cannot fully account for this exceptional re~lt submitted
at the end of a decade. Want of proper enumeration cannot but have
something though not much to do with this deficit. The rising tide is noticeable
since 1911, as no area ca~ claim to exclude itself from the ;uinous and devastating
effects of the Great FamlDe of 1900. The 1911 Census registered a si"nificant rise
of 12'4 per cent., which was continued even during the period 1911-21 ;hich showed
a uniform decrease allover the State owing to the heavy influenza mortality. This.
rise is to some extent due to its favourable position on the BhavnagarState Railway
which had by. this time. enable.d .it. to .develop into a prosperous cotton growing
tract. Botad IS gradually IDdustnallzlDg Itself; and the present Census sees it at the•
peak of prosperity giving it a very high increase of 25'6 per cent. Its total gain
during the last fifty years is 6,208 or 20'7 per cent. and bears out the remark
made in the Revision Settlement Report that Botad has adapted itself more
strenuously to the changed circumstances with advantage.

41. Lilia MahaL-The Mahal of Lilia lines itself with some of the other
Mahals of the State which have not come up to the population level of 1891. On
account of the favoured position which it enjoys as regards soil and the preponderance
of Kanbis who are the best cultivating popUlation of the State, it did not
suffer so much as many other Mahals of the State daring the famine of 1900.
The gain of 6'57 per cent. realised in its population in 1891 was, therefore, followed
by a nearly equal loss of 6'7 per cent. in 1901. The rich black soil of the
Kharopat with its dry and healthy climate seems to have endowed the Kanbis
of Lilia with greater resisting and sustaining power. During the decennium 1901-
•11, there is an insignificant increase of 2'3 per cent. only; whereas the influenza of
1918 brings about a deficit of 2,932 or U'S per cent. But the present Census.
registers an increase of 2,661 or U'8 per cent. Examining these figures for the
last fifty years the nef variation by way of increase in the population of the Mahal
of Lilia is recorded to be 148 or 0'58 per cent. Over the population as recorded
in 1891, a deficit of 1,503 is still to be made up.

42. Kundlil Mahal.-In KundJa, the later acquisition of the State, the soi1
is generally hilly and stony and though adjacent to Lilia does not enjoy the benefit
of having fertile soils in some of the villages of the Tappas of Thordi and
Vijapadi. It is one of those Mahals which have shown progressive tendencies. It.
suffered heavily from the effects of the Chhapania Famine which was instrumental
in bringing about a decrease of 18'02 per cent. in 1901, which in its tum was.
preceded by an equal increase of 18'8 per cent. in 1891. But a material rise of
8'2 per cent. at the succeeding Census and a decrease of 2'1 per cent. in 1921 in
spite of heavy influenza mortality testify to the greater staying power of the
population which is prepondering Kanbi and to prosperous nature of the Mahal.
A dry and healthy climate has also had its necessary beneficent effect on the
growth of its population. The conjoint effect of these causes has been to give to
KundJa a very enviable increase of 17'6 per cent. in its population at the present
Census •• The growth of numbers has been also promoted by the extension of
the Bhavnagar State Railway from KundJa to Mahuva which, has enabled the
town of Kundla to develop into a flourishing market town and facilitated the
disposal of its agricultural produce. Like Botad, though to some less extent.
Kundla too has raised itself to the status of an important and growing cotton
centre, and possesses a press and ginning factories. The last but not the least
of the contributory causes to this happy result are the benefits of a settled and
ordered government during the Census era which enable the people to abide in
peace and grow. This last factor is not peculiar to KundJa alone, butalso holds.
VICTOR. MAHUVA AND TALAJA IoIA.HALS
good in the case of the Mahals of Mahava and Talaja whi~h were harasse<!
by the robbers on the high seas popularly known as chanchJa8 and the Kathi
outlaws or bahat'fJatias on the high roads.

43. Victor MahaL-The two Tappas of Doongar an~ Rajala were ~nstituted
into a separate Mahal in the year 1881. The changes In the population of
these two Tappas, therefore, constitute the history of the movement of population
of this Mahal. There is very little to note except that it is one of the two Mahals of
the Southern Division which are struggling to raise themselves to the stature of 189!.
The present Census shows it to have well nigh, recovered its 1891 position which
exceeds the present figure by 136. But there has been a net increase of 2,891 or
13'5 per cent. in the population of this Mahal since 188!.

44. Mahuva MahaL-The coastal Mahal of Mahuva is one of the highly
progressive Mahals of the State. The population of the Mahal which was 60,508
in 1881 has riscn to 83,293 in 1931, showing a net variation of 22,785 or 37'6
per cent. within the last ~fty re~rs. The causes of decrease, viz., a b~g famine in
1900 and an influenza epidemiC 10 1918, are very nearly the same as 10 the case
of other Mahals of the State. Practically the same movement of population is
noticeable a Census of famine followed by a Census of slight increase, and then
again a d;crease from influenza in 1918. The difference, however, lies in the
stamina and resisting power varying with the economic and other conditions of the
people. Among the factors that have stimulated the rapid growth in the population
of this Mahal should be described the general fertility of soil which with its
rich cocoanut and mango plantations has earned for it the title of the 'garden land'
of the State i a low pitch of assessment i well distributed and sufficient rain-fall ~
facilities of railway communications i the convenience of a port helping it to industrialize
and commercialize itself i and easily accessible market facilities. To
these should be added as in the case of Kundla the sense of security accruing from a
beneficent and progressive administration which reacts healthily on the growth of
population. The past decennium alone is responsible for a rise of 11,703 souls
or 16'3 per cent. in its population.

45. Tala;a Mahal.-This is another of the Coastal Mahals which has.
shown a very striking rapidity of movement in its population. The extent of
progress of Talaja is greater than that of Mahuva. For, while the increase in the
population of Mahuva since 1881 is 37'6 per cent., that of Talaja is 41•!. It
stands next to Daskroi from the point of growth. The march to prosperity
commenced after the Big Famine, i.e., during the decade 1901-11, when the
percentage of increase variation came up to 20'5. This onward march was
characteristically maintained even during the influenza Census of 1921, and like
Botad registered an increase of 1'5 per cent., while the rest of the Mahals showed
a downward movement. The causes for these rapid strides taken by the Mahal of
Talaja are to be sought in its comparative fertility, which of course cannot come
on par with Mahuva, sufficiency of rains, and a comparatively low incidence of
assessment. It seems to have been the most favoured from the point of rainfall
the averages for this Mahal being the highest for the periods of 35 and 44 yea~
from 1885 as also for the past decennium. They are found to be 25'2 25'9 and 24'7
inches respectively. Its backwardness and late association with rail~ay communic,,:
tions as not encouraging the e~igration of the people may have something to do
With the growth of n~bers dunng 1901-~1. For whereas during that decennium
thepercentagevanation was 20'5, thatdurmg 1921-31 which saw the construction
of. the Tram Line from Bhavnagar to Talaja came to U•S per cent. The
extstence of a port and a pleasant climate should also be alluded to. It need
har~y be reiterated that it has shar«;d in common with Kundla and Mahuva, the
blesslOgs of a peaceful rule, harhounng contentment and prosperity which accelerated
the movement of their population •
 
-46:• Diagtllm.-The• actual• population• of' the •Mahals of the State as
returned by the current Census is shown below by bars arranged in the order of
their magnitude.

DIAGRAM SHOWING THE ACTUAL POPULATION OF MAHALS
ARRANGED IN ORDER OF' MAC;;NITUOE
 [[File:   Capture87.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
47. By the density of a tract is meant the number of persons dwelling
upon a unit area of land, such as a square mile or an acre, assuming it to be uniformly
distributed, which is usually not the case. This is what is known as the
crude or mean density as distinguished from the spatial density which involves
economic considerations to be reviewed later on. The ratio representing the crude
density is one of convenience, and its variations within the area under consideration
are tacitly assumed. This will be clearly observed from the fact that in one
and the same Mahal, the density of different Tappas is not the same. Density
serves as an index of pressure which the population of a tract exerts in relation to
the similar figures of average density of other tracts. The area of the State of
Bhavnagar is 2,961 square miles or 18,95,040 acres of land, and assuming uniform
distribution, the average density of the State is 169 persons per square mile or
3'77 acres per person.

48. Density of Other States Considered. -It will be instructive to examine
here the figures of area and population of some of the States in Western India
 [[File:   Capture88.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
States Agency, and other Indian States
and Provinces in British India. But such a
comparison can be best instituted by
examining their varying densities. The
relevant statistics are shown in the margin.
Among the Kathia war States, the
State of Cutch stands first with an area
of 8,249 square miles. Then follow
Nawanagar and Junagadh with their respective
areas of 3,791 and 3.337 square
miles. Bhavnagar is fourth with an
area of 2,961 square miles. But from
the point of mean 'density the State of
Palitana which has an area of only 300
square miles tops the list with 207 persons
to the square mile. Gondal is second
with 201 persons per square mile. But
among the rest with larger areas Bhavnagar
occupies the. favoured position with
 
a density of 169 perSons to the sqUare mile. The respeCtive densities of )unagadh
and Nawanagar are 163 and 108, but the density of Cutch is 62, the lowest
of all the Kathiawar States noticed above. But the mean density of the Westen}
India States Agency is found to be 113. Similar statistics for other Indian States
are intere;ting. The Southern India States of Cochin and Travancore have
814 and 668 persons per square mile respectively. The crude density of 814
for the State of Cochin whose area is only 1,480 square miles is certainly very
high. But the premier Indian State of Hyderabad has got a density of only
174 persons per square mile which comes very near to that of this State.
Baroda is fairly dense with 299 persons to the square mile. But the States of
Gwalior and Bikaner which come next to Hyderabad from the point of area have
a density of 134 and 40 persons respectively. The areal density of England
according to the Census of 1931 is 685 persons to the square mile, and that of
Belgium 686. But the density of the vast Indian Continent is 196 persons to the
square mile. •

The foregoing statistics can be best understood from the following
diagram which compares the density of the State with those of other States.
Provinces, and England and Wales. The Mahal densities are also compared.
 
[[File:   Capture89.png   | |frame|500px]]   
  
p d. The growth of ClYihullon, wh,ch•tmplies-mastefYove. uatare•iil ... higher

 
degree, and tbe development of industry and trade, make it pogsible to become Independent of
agricultural conditions, and caose a heavy density of population also in places poorly endowed
by nature. Tbe great increase of populatioo among modern civilized peoples i. doe to tbe growth
of trade aod industry.'"

. Different sets of causes combine to determine the density of a tract. The
factors that generally influence the density of an agricultural locality are the
fertility of soil, adequacy of rainfall, configuration of the surface, sanitation or
climate and to some extent the incidence of land tax. The last two, however,
do not play so important a part as the first two, as the proverbial attachment of
the Indian peasant to his ancestral horne renders him immobile, and makes him
stick to it even under adverse circumstances. As regards an industrial centre,
the set of circumstances that will operate to make it dense will be the opportunities
for employing one's self profitably, facilities of transport and communications,
and a prosperous trade and thriving commerce. The flourishing City of
Bhavnagar is a striking instance to this point. The density of the City which
was 1,770 persons to the square mile in 1881 rose to 2,800 in 1931.
 [[File:   Capture90.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
50. As in the case of the State, so in the case of the City and Mahals,
density has responded to a rise or fall in the populatipn at each'successive Census.
The above map illustrates the varying densities of the Mahals of the St~t~.
Roughly speaking the Coastal ~ahals are denser than al! the re~t ~xcept LIlia
and Sihor, the Mahal of Daskrol being the densest. Its high denSity IS due to the
inclusion of the populous City of Bhavnagar. The Bhal forms a Tappa of the
1. S,~IiIu, B",o, :rou, p. 81~ QUQt~ by Prof. Brij Naroi~ in his PopulatiOI' o/India. p. 62.
 
Da~kroi Mahal, but it has been purposely kept blank to show it:: sparseness.
Because it will be hardly fair to attribute the denseness of the whole Mahal which
,contains 192 persons per square mile toa part which contains only 18.
The effe;ct of the fertility of soil is noticeable in the Lilia Mahal. Net variation
in its increase since 1881 is 20'7 per cent. compared to 58 per cent. for Botad
and yet it is denser than the latter. Even with all this expansion duing recent
years the mean density of Botad comes up only to 157 persons per square mile j
whr;reas the density of the fertile Mahal of Lilia is 171 and was 181 in 1891.
Similarly the combined effect of fertility and of inadequacy of rainfall upon the
density of a locality is vividly illustrated by the Mahal of Gadhada which has
been continuously SUbjected to decreasing rainfall. From the point of net variation
since 18Bl, very little difference in the population of the Mahals of Gadhada
and Lilia is found. For, while the former registers a net increase of 143 souls,
the latter shows a deficit of 148. But the differences in their densities are very
great. The lowest density of Gadhada is found to be 104 in 1901, and that of
Lilia to be 153 in 1921 jwhereas their highest densities were 134 and 181 respectively
in 1891. These two Mahals which show very little divergence in the
net variation of their population, point out to a very striking divergence in the
fif,'1lres of their mean densities, owing to differences in climatic and soil conditions.
The same phenomenon operates to its logical extent in the saIt fiat of Bhal which
is totally unhealthy and unfit for cultivation.
51. Again the striking connection between rainfall and density will be
seen from the margin which gives the figures of density and of the decennial
average rainfall of each of the Mahals. The order of Mahals according to rainfall
more or less follows the same order as that of density, with the exception of
the Mahal of Daskroi
whose density is in the
main affected by con'
siderations other than
those of rainfall, as it
includes the figures
for the City of Bha vnagar.
So barring
Daskroi, Talaja which
is the first from the
point of rainfall is the
first also in the order of
density, and Gadhada
which is the last from
 [[File:   Capture92.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
 

is the last also in ~he order of density. Mahuva, Sihor' and Victor maintain
the same order both 10 respect of rainfall and density j but not the, remaining
Mahals. For, the Mahals of Lilia, UmraIa, Kundla and Botad whose decennial
averages vary from 19,03 to 19'63 inches change places amongst themselves and
do, not follo~v exactly the same order as rainfall. Lilia which is eighth from the
pomt of raI,":fall naturall~ stan,ds, fifth from the point of density owing to its
greater fert,lltty. But thi~ vanation on~y cautions us against assuming any the
,clo~~ relatIOn between ramfall and denSIty. Because a high rainfall in the hills
of l\~l,tialaort~e salt, flat of the Bhal will not by itself affect their density. Nor will
fertlltty avail Itself 10 the absence of adequate rainfall What really matt '
f,e r t'1l e SO'L, Iacco'mpdame by "tlm ely rams well distrib• uted over the. seasoe rs IS Iat,
IS the total.number of e~c:ctive ra!ny days properly spread over the monsoo~'that:
counts. EIther the fertil~ty or raInfall alone will not explain the phenomenon of
•a great~r or lesser d~nslty. To these must also be added the factors of the
pro~rtions of the cul~lvable ar~ to the total, and of the cultivated area to the,
.culuvaJ:!le, ,all of :which combme to make up the environment of a locality and
,determme Its deDSity.
52. Subsidiary Table VIII at the end of the chapter shows that in the
Same Mahal, the population is not uniformly distributed over all the parts. In one
and the same Mahal, places with divergent densities are to be found. The Table
gives varied distribution of the population classified according to density for the
State as a whole and each of its individual Mahals. It shows for each unit the area
and the population inhabiting that area falling under tba.t particular class of density.
Below are given in italics, the percentages that the area and the population of
the unit bear to its total area and population; . Below the density class 'under 50"
comes the Mahal of Daskroi which contains the Tappa of BhaI whose mean
density is 18 per square mile with an area of 302 sqflare miles and a population.
of 5,465 persons. At the other end of the density ladder under the class, • 451
and over,' is the area of 87 square miles appropriating to itself a population of
87,881 persons. Nearly three-fourths or 75 per cent. of the area and population of
the State are distributed under places with density varying between 101 and 250"
persons to the square mile. This variation in density in one and the same Mahal
will be clearly understood from the opposite map which shows density by Tappas..
,
SUBSIDIARY TABLE V
. ACTUAL AND PROPORTIONAL VARIATION IN THE POPULATION OF TAPPAS
CLASSIFIED.ACCORDING TO DENSITY AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF
EACH DECADE SINCE 1901
 [[File:   Capture93.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
53. The two . foregoing Subsidiary Tables show the actual and propor.
tional variation in •thepopulation of the State by Tappas classified accord-ing
to' density since 1901. The numerical and percentage variation in the
total population as it fell under the different density groups varying' from
• cunder 50' to • 451• and over.' at• each successive Census is given. At-the;,
present, Census ~he highest increaSe in numbers (3~, 928) is, shown, 1¥lder Tappa&-,
with tlensity between .. 151"add- 200; :whereas the-hIghest-percentage IDcrease (117)"
is shown under Tappas with density under 50. The areas with-the- dlmsity from ,
201 to 250 and • 451 and over' are marked by a continuous rise in their popula.,
 [[File:   Capture934.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
1ion ever since 1901. puring the past ten years, alL'~nsity "gr~,exc:ept ,the
two with density from 51 to 100 an,d 10-1• to ~50showmcr-ease1n their population.
This points to the tendency of the population to shift towards as well as to,gro~
in higher density groups. . '. ~, .' .. ,' , , ':,.'. .. -. ' ..
SEcnON VI-. HOUSES AND F AldiLIES


54. • House' has been defined in the Census Code as ~ II building or part,
of a building inhabited by o~e family, that is by :' nUlD:ber of persons livjn~
together and eating together In one common mess, with theIr dependants and resIdent
servants." This is the social type of a house, and differs from the'structural
type which formed the basis of house-numbering before 1911 •. The former
represents a household or a commensal family, and is adopted for its simplicity
.and ease of application. This definition was universally observed throughout
the State except the City of Bhavnagar where some modifications had to
be made owing to its industrial character. The structural house, on the other
hand, is the residence of one or more families having a separate independent
•entrance from the common way. This definition, if completely adopted in the City,
will form the basis of a tenement Census which will yield very important results
~egarding the, nature of dwelling, the amount of ~pace,a,vailable for th~ accommodation
of a family, and the number of persons mhabltmg each particular type of
house. For rural areas the social type of the house as defin~d above is very
-convenient and useful.
SUBSIDIARY TABLE VI
PERSONS PER HOUSE AND HOUSES PER SQUARE MILE
AVERAGE NuwnER OF PERSONS AVERA.GE NUMBER OP HOUSES
PEa HOUSE.
 [[File:   Capture95.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
55. Variation in Houaes.-In the above Subsidiary Table are. given the
ligures of the average number of houses per square mile since 1901.. The
figures for the 1901 Census should not be taken into consideration as the
t¥pe of house then ~~opted was given up for the social type' i~ 1911,
smce when the defimtlOn has not undergone any change. For the purposes
of comparison, therefore, only the statistics from 1911 to 1931 should deserve
•our atteution. It w~Il he 'observed that the rise or fall in the number: of
houses IX:r square mll~ has been accompanied by a sympathetic increase or
decrease .m the populatIOn of the State at each Census. The past decennium has
 
 
Like the average ~umber of hou;es per square mile, the average numberof
persons per house IS also on the Increase. Here too, as in the case of the
former, the figures for 1901 will be left out of consideration. The average number
of persons per house remained the same at the Censuses of 1911 and 1921. But
in 1931 it rose from 4'3 to 4'6 persons per house. The rise is noticed all over the
Mahals of the State. The averages for the Mahals of Botad, Kundla, and Talaja
are above the State a verage and suggest that the conditions as prevailing in these
tracts were favourable to the healthy growth of population.

56. This lea~s to the c;o~sid~ra~ion of t~~t more, important problem, the
break•up of that soclo-economlc institutIOn, the JOint family. If a hasty judgment
is hazarded after a casual glance at the figures as they are, the increase in the
number of persons per house from 4'3 to 4'6 will appear to suggest that the family
ties are strengthening and are held more sacrosanct than before •. But that is not
really so. Since the number of occupied houses in the State roughly corresponds
to the number of families living and eating together, it will be proper to institute a
comparison between the number of occupied houses and the number of married
females aged 15 and over, and discover, if the forces of disintegration have appeared
on the scene, The. females less than 15 years old have been excluded, as it is
only after that age that a wife will come into her own, and will be in a position
to have a willing ear of her husband. It is the age when she begins to feel
the boredom of dependence upon a quarrelsome mother-in-law, militates
against her oppression and authority and tries to assert herself by separating
from the joint family. The marginal table shows
a pretty good divergence between the number of
married females aged 15 and over and the
number of occupied houses. The proportions of
occupied houses to 100 females aged 15 and over
are 74'6, 98-4, and 77'4 for the years 1911, 1921
and 1931 respectively. The ratios of 1911 and 1931
alone can be compared, as the 1921 ratio belongs.
to an abnormal intercensal period which was marked
by selective influenza mortality, particularly
 
among the women of child-bearing ages. The reduction of numbers in their
ranks would, therefore, raise the proportion of occupied 'houses to 100 females
aged 15 and over. And so the comparison of the proportions of 1911 and 1931
with 1921 can serve no useful purpose. But when the figures for 1911 are compared
with those for 1931, it is seen that the number of houses is higher in 1931
than that in 1911. While in 1911 74-6 per cent. of the married females above the
age of 15 held separate establishments, the corresponding proportion for 1931
rose to 77'4. And the extent of variation is an index to the extent to which the
forces of fission and disruption have told upon the joint family, The system does.
not seem to have found the same degree of favour as it used to do before;
and the tendency which has now set in, may assert itself with greater force in the
decade to come. It is not possible in this Report to dwell upon the various
causes and effects of the motives underlying this phenomenon, Suffice it, therefore
to say that the bonds that formely held the members of a family together
are 'gradually loosening. But the disruption of the family ties is not such as to•
create any grave apprehension for their total disappearance in the near future.
For, the joint family still rules the major portiol) of
the field, and it will take many years before the
institution suffers a complete break-down. As wiII be seen
from the marginal statistics, the jointness of the family is
more liable to be shaken in towns than in villages,While
the proportion of houses per cent. of married females
aged 15 and over is 76'8 in the case of the State excluding
the City of Bhavnagar, that for the latter comes to
80'3. This is due to the fact that the village. economy
ofthe rural areas based as it is on the co-operation of the
members of a family on whose joint participation depe~ds
propor.1ooi
 
the success of agricultural operations, has offered little scope for the appearance,
SUJOIIncG'W
of disruptive tendenciet. But' the urban atmosphere with a greater number of
the educated and professional men who are prompted to keep a higher standard of
life and desire to do something by themselves and theirs, favours the growth of
dissolving factora.
. .
57. Summing up.-It will !low be .worthwhi1~ to 'sum up the conditions.
prevailing during the past decenDium which have given such an unprecedented
rise of 17'3 per ceut. to the population of the State. "In order to increase and
multiply man must have certain essential conditions-water, food, clothing and
shelter a climate not fatally unhealthy and sufficient security of life and property
to mak~ it possible for him to settle and abide. "1. The existence and operation of
these conditions have been reviewed in the preceding pages. It has been seen that
the circumstances as obtaining during the past decade were fovourable to the'
natural and actual growth of the population of the Bhavnagar State. The
natural growth resulting from an excess of births over deaths was stimulated by
the general, economic and agricultural conditions of the decade. N ~ epide~ic
like influenza and plague which hampered the even growth of populatIOn dunng
the previous decade made its appearance. Public health was maintained at a
fairly high level. Notwithstanding the annual average rai~fall of some of. the
middle years being much below the normal, the results of agncultural operations•
were on the whole conducive to the general well•being of the people. The first three
years were good beyond the expectations of the klr.edut and the deficiency of the,
subsequent two years was made up by an extraordi~ary rise in the !evel of pric.es,
especially of cotton. The decade also saw the rebirth of the credit co-operattve'
societies, and the successful operation of the Debt Redemption Scheme in the
Mahal of Lilia. The industrial and commercial advancement was still more
rapid. The import trade expanded enormously during the intercensal period.
It was instrumental in drawing to the City people from outside and increasing the.
total population of the State. The benefits of a well-governed and beneficent
administration cannot be minimised. For, the sense of security to person and•
property which it engenders in the minds of the people has a very wholesome
effect on the growth of numbers. The last but not the least was the returning
ebb of those persons of the State who had been induced to move to commercial
and trading centres like Bombay and Ahmedabad during the war•time. The
artificial prosperity which characterised the post-war boom period had disappeared
with the growing maladjustment between production and consumption •.
During the second quinqennium of 1921-31 prices were falling offand suffered a.
sudden collapse in October 1929. Trade depression and unemployment that
followed became still more acute as a result of the unfavourable political situation
of the country. Only the cotton mill industry flourished. But prosperity in.
one trade was not sufficient to compensate for the loss of employment in others.
The economic condition of the cities was thus going from bad to worse under the•
growing stress of unemployment. People, therefore, thought of going back to.
~:ir native places, where the joint family system with its common messing and
hvmg under a common roof made for less expensive life. These considerations.
materially influenced to send the unemployed malcontents back to their homes.
and swell the numbers of the native population. And in this Bhavnagar too
[[File:   Capture96.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
had its quota. "

58. The Probable Future Trend of the Population.-The causes responsible
for the highest rise both from the point of percentage and numbers.
in the total p<Jpulati?n of the State .have been summed up. As has been seen~
the .populatlOn dunng the past Dine years, eleven months, and eight days
has mcreased by 73,870 souls, or 17'3 per cent. Taking the arithmetic mean
the ave~g.e annual increase during the intercensal period comes to 7,458 persons~
~ut thiS I~ not actually the case, because the population of a tract will not
mcrease u?Iformly fro~ year to year. The geometrical method of calculating
the mean mcrease dunng the intercensal period suggested by Whipple is worked
 
-out in the foot-note'. While the increase (1'7 per cent.)' according to the
arithmetical method is higher during the intercensal period, that during
the postcensal period is higher according to the geometrical method, whereby
the population of the State will increase at the rate of 1'6 per cent. per annum.
The question' that now confronts us is: what then will the probable
future trend of the population of the State of Bhavnagar be? Will
the extraordinary rapid movement which has been observed during 1921-31 be
-continued during the next decennium? Will the Census of 1941 be fortunate
enough to register the same degree of rise? It is not possible to give 'an
:unqualified answer to these questions. But before making any such attempt,
the times and circumstances which will form the background of the next Census
-should be mentally pictured. A reference must also be made to the past
history of the Census in the State, and consequently to the past movement of its
:population at each successive Census.
As the curve oppsite page 22 and the marginal diagram illustrate, the move.
ment of the population of the State has been characterised by an alternate rise and
fall in the population of the State.
After the taking of the first Census
V,..RIATION PERCENT IN THE
POPU'LATION OF THE STATE
IN EACH 'INTERCENSAL PERIOD
SINCE 1881
 [[File:   Capture98.png   | |frame|500px]]   
 
in 1872, the population curve goes
down in 1881, 1901 and 1921,
and rises up in 1891, 1911, and
1931. An increase in the State
population at one Census has
been invariably accompanied by
a fall at the other. The past
history of the movement of the
population would, therefore, seem
to suggest that the same even
growth of the popUlation is not
likely to continue during the
coming years. It may perhaps
be that a high percentage rise at
this Census may not be accompanied
by an equally high fall in
the population. It is equally likely
that the population may show a
rise rather than a fall, unless some
epidemic confronts the population
to fulfil the Malthusian prophecy
and checks it from growing beyond
the means of subsistence.
But there are other directions
from which the checks to the
growth of population may be
administered. Among the social
factors that may operate, though
not to a great extent, to restrict
the growth of population in the
current decennium should be
counted the Child and Old Age
 
Marriages Prevention Act of 19~O. pas .. d '!'Y the Darbar fixing the m~i~?m
ages at marriage for boys and gtrls Iespecti~velf at 18 and 14, and prohibltin~
the marriage of a man past. the ag~ of 4? WIth.a w:oman less than half hu;.
age. This question will be dl~ ID all Its bearings .ID a further C~pter relating
to the Civil Condition. It will, therefore, be suffiCIent only to pomt out that
the postponement of age at marriage, and the prevet;ttion of old age marriages
cannot but result in offering some-though not apprectabl~heck to the unhampered
growth of the State population. Female infanticide which is not
infrequently mentioned in this connection should be absolutely ruled out of court
in the case of this State. Abortion is sometimes alluded to as one of
the checks. But religious sentiment and notions of morality which mould and'
characterise a Hindu life would not warrant any. importance being attached tothis
practice. It is to be found, if at all, only among some of those youngerwidows
who have been the unfortunate victims of enforced widowhood without
enjoying the pleasures of life. The effects of artificial birth-control as limiting
the future growth of population should also be noticed. Contraceptives
have been frequently suggested as a means to limit the size of the family, and'.
bettering one's economic condition by raising the standard of life. For, a large
family is an obstacle to satisfying all the daily needs-not to talk of comforts
and luxuries-of life. Reduction in the number of mouths to feed leaves
a surplus which can be devoted to raise a man's economic status. This has
resulted in the use of contraceptives on a very large scale in European
countries, more extensively in France and the United States of America. The
adoption of similar devices has been very widely advocated nowadays in India toreduce
the size of the family and thereby promote the economic growth of the
country. A Census Report is concerned with it only in its effects upon the growth
of population. It may be pointed out here that their use in the state is likely to
achieve little success in the near future owing to the extreme poverty of the
Indian masses, social and religious traditions of the people, and their .jnability tocomprehend
its meaning much less to understand its significance and practise it.'
So no check is likely to be received from this quarter during the next decade.
And finally, the general, political and economic conditioh of the country which
cannot but have its repurcussions on the Indian States, does not promise to be on
the whole satisfactory. Political and economic unrest go hand in hand, and one'
is bound to react upon the other. Population grows only during times of peace
and economic prosperity, and in the absence of the latter, harmonious growth of
numbers cannot be hoped for. Even apart from the effects of political situation
upon the economic condition of anyone country, the whole of the world suffers
tD-day from over-population and under-employment without showing any chances.
of revival in the immediate future. This cannot but have a restrictive influence
on the growth of population.
These then are the conditions which will determine the movement
of population during the decade 1931-41. Adaed to these are the unforeseen
effects of pestilence and famine, already referred to which periodically visit the
Indian Continent. But when all this is said and surmised, it must be acknowledged
that man is but a feeble judge of what is in the womb of future. There
are many other factors which are beyond human knowledge and control.
The probable conclusion, therefore, seems to be that while it is very uulikely that
the wowth of the popul~tion of the S~te in th~ future will be at the same speed
as m the past decenmum, and whtle the circumstances aforesaid would not
warrant the inference of any great rise in its numbers the past history would
suggest a possible decline in its population as recorded in'1931. .
SECTION VII-POPULATION AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS.

. 59 •. Preaaure of Popu!ation.-While the popUlation of the State has
Increased by 17 per cent. durmg the last decennium and 25 per cent. during
1881.1931, at the latter rate it would double itself within the next two hundred
years. But speculations of this kind are of 1!tt1e .vaIue, when we know that the
 
population of a country or state does not increase at' a uniform rate from
Census to Census. Checks to its growth are administered from various quarters.
Since the commencement of the Census era, the decades 1881-91, 1901-11 and
1921-31 have been the only fairly normal periods. The rest have been disturbed
by plague, famine and influenza which have set back the pendulum of growth.
The writers on economics attribute the operation of these checks to the working
•of the Malthusian Law of Population. Mr. Ranadive, a recent writer on the subject,
says:-
.. The Malthnsian theroy states that the popnlation shows an inherent tendency to
-outrun the means of subsistence, in as much as, if uncbecked, it will increase at least in
geometrical ratio. while subsistence, even under tbe most favourable circumstances, cannot
increase faster than in an arithmetical ratio. As man cannot live without bread, the
.growth of popnlation mnst necessarily be cnrbed by the operation of varions checks:•'
In other words, the popnlation will actually increase only as far as the means of subsistenco
will allow; bnt since it will always tend to ontstrip prodnction, its growth will always be
cnrbed hy varions checks. Referring to the periodical visitations like plague, famine, Bood,
and influenza, and examining the higb birtb•rate, conpled with an eqnally bigb death.rate, and
tbe bigb infantile mortality, the antbor concludes that there is a growing maladjnstment
,between population and prodnction wbicb cannot but peril the very existence of tbe Indian
nation, unless timely and concerted measnres are taken. He is of the opinion that while
intensive cultivation 00 western lines is not possible in view of the poverty of the cultivator,
tendency towards diminishing returns, and inefficient methods of production, recourse to
rapid industrialisation can be only a feeble palliative. The remedy for tbe country to get
•ont of tbe Maltbusian misery is not only to prevent tbe growtb of population bnt also to reduce
tbe existing pressure of nnmbers. Tbis can be done eitber by abstinence or self•control; but
more effectively by tbe adoption of neo-Maltbusian metbods of artificial birth-control whicb will
give a natnral excess of deaths over births.
On the other hand, it must be remembered that it is only in an agricultural
•community that the pressure of population on the means of subsistence or the
available food supply will be of any consequence. The Industrial Revolution of
Europe during the last century gave a great impetus to the growth of population
in countries like England and Germany, irrespective of the food supply available
to support the rapid growth of numbers. The possibility <;>f the means of subsistence
giving out at any particular future period can only be considered in regard
to the world as a whole. An industrial country can exchange its commodities
in lieu of agricultural produce. Again man's capacities for mastering the forces
•{)f Nature have been proved to be immense, and one does not know what further
scientific inventions will come to the succour of humanity to avert the evil day
predicted by Malthus.' The world has gone on in the past and will also go on
in the future.
But what is of great economic importance is the pressure of population as
.increasing man's misery and poverty and lowering his standard of life. And for
testing this pressure Mr. Ranadive suggests :-
"Wbetber a conntry bas mnltiplied far below a rationally adequate standard of life,
•or bas approacbed or transgressed tbe poverty line, can in our opinion, be judged by a
referenCEI to tbe calamitons cbecks to popnlation, wbich are born onto of poverty. If famines
and epidemics are fonnd to oppress the popnlation of a country in any great degree tben it
-<:an be safely generalised tbat tbere is not enougb food in that conntry to supprot its population
adequately, and that popnlation bas mnltiplied beyond a reasonable standard of living; in sbort
that tbe conntry is overpopnlated:' ,
Thus 'over-population' or pressure of population on the means of subsistence
are relative terms, and refer to the existing material and economic condition
. <>f a country without reference to any prospective expansion ~hat may result in
the future. The problem is as to whether the existing means of a country meaning
thereby the totality of its national wealth and national income are by themselves
sufficient to support the existing pressure of population. So far as India is
concerned, the reply is in the negative. And what is true of India as a whole, is
1. Population Problem oj India, p. 7.
2. Ibid. p. 15.
STANDARD OF LTVISG .
tme-after making the neces.<;<l.ry allow~nce l'ir local ~riations it;' the de~el?l?"
ment of ag-ricultural and non.agncu.ltural mdustnes at.td differ~t;'ces 10 the mdiVldual
income owing to better tradmg and commercial conditions-for the State
•of Bha vnagar also.

60. Standard of Living.-The poverty of the Indian masses is patent.
Their standard of life is miserably low. - The national dividend or the per capi~
income has been variously estimated from Rs. 20 to Rs. 74. Dadabhoy NaoroJI
put it at Rs. 20. Later on in 1881, it was estimated at Rs. 27 by Sir pavid
Barbour, and at Hs. 30 in 1901 hy Lo~d Curzon. Ten years I.ater, Mr. Fmdlay,
Shirras found it to be Rs. 50. Accordmg to the latest calculatIons of Mr. Khambatta
the gross per capita income has been estimated to be Rs. 74. per year.
H th~ level of prices prevailing at these differ~nt perio~s of time ?e•taken into
consideration it will be found that all these estimates dIffer but little, though
wme negligible rise will have occurred after all these years. Whatever the esti-.
mate we select for our purpose, the standard of living as at present obtaining in
the country has reached the line of starvation. The finding of a similar estimate'
for the State would entail an elaborate enquiry of great complexity. •But it is'
our opinion that though the comparatively smaller incidence of taxation and j
better conditions of living may give to the State figure a value higher than the aile:
India figure, it will not differ from it to any very great extent. The low standard.
of life which is one of the tests to gauge the over•population in the country is also:
established by the enquiries made by the Bombay Labour,Office into the budgets•
of the working classes in 1921-22. The gist of its conclusion was that a criminal i
in jail could get more than workmen who toiled hard to earn an hones.t living. i
The increasing pressure of population can be relieved only by preserving:
a balance between agricultural and non-agricultural industries. The pressure has I
begun to be felt not only in old countries like India which is mainly agricultural;
but also in England and America which are mainly industrial. A fair distribu- i
tion of population between agricultural and industrial occupations is' the only I
remedy. India must not only resort to intensive cql~ivation, but must also I
develop industrially. The growth of numbers must be checked by conscious;
efforts. But as has been already seen in the preceding para, the adoption ofj
.artificial means of reducing the family is not to be expected in the near future. i
But the increasing pressure of population .on the means of subsistence can be'
relieved by reverting to her old practice of plain living and high thinking.,
Though there must be an increase in the national production• and national income .
if not greater than yet equal in amount to that of any other advanced countrY
•of the world, the simplicity of life for which she has stood for centuries should
not be lost sight of. The difference between the East and West lies in this
fundamental change in their outlook on life. While the materialistic civilization,
of ~he W~st is based upon the multiplication of wants and growing discontent as'
an incentIve to progress, the spiritualistic civilization of the Orient is based on the'
li"}itation of want~, si.~plicity of life and the consequent contented and peaceful
eXIstence of the mdlVlduai. In the actual worldly life there should be a fair
admIxture of the two. And no small degree of relief can be secured from ••the
pressure on the means ~f subs~stence by living a simple life whose necessitY is noi
overlooked even by foreIgn writers on economics. To those Who are prone to be
converted by the pen of foreigners, we offer the following passage from Dr.
Thompson:- . ., . , '
h "To simpli£y our present standards of living does not necessarily mean 'a lowering ~r .
tern. ia)1t means rather that a good many of the things of our civilization which we cODsider
~sse~t to-day may be found to be merely passing phases" induced 'by our rapid industrial
eve ~pment •. \V~ have. become accustomed to thiuk of civilization and cultur. and progress
as 0. necessity lnvolvlDg all the comploxities of our present existence It is open to
qu':,"ltoni, howeve~, whether much of our present complexity is not a hindr~nce to real cultor.
rat er t an IlD ald. Th~e cannot be much doubt that as people are becoming more
::ucated they are. becomlDg more self•contained, and they begin to see that the way to get
I • most °dntb a °bfl life IS to put the most into it, and not to surroond themselves with all the
nxunes an u es they can afford."1
1. Population: A Slu4J in MalII"u",lIilm. p. 16+.
 
==ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIARY TABLES==

 [[File:   Capture99.png   | |frame|500px]]   
[[File:   Capture100.png   | |frame|500px]]   
[[File:   Capture101.png   | |frame|500px]]   
[[File:   Capture102.png   | |frame|500px]]