The Famine in India.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 77, 3 April 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Famine in India.

Experiences os a Sydney Missionary,

Harrowing Scenes.

Natives Die Awaiting Food,

India ia always an absorbing topic. Ib is bhe more bo jusb now by reason of bhe famine. The Rev. W. Newby-Fraaer, representative of the Church Missionary Association, who has been for four yeara in the heart of India—two yeara ab Agra and two ab Allahabad—has been compelled by failing health to return to Sydney. The Indian climate and the hard work told so much upon him thab his medical advisers insisted upon his leaving the counbry. Just ab presenb he ia recuperating in Sydnoy, and haa already experienced much benefib from bhe change. Chabting with a representative of ' The Daily Telegraph,' he depicted some of the Bcenes which ho himself has witnessed in the north-west provincee of India during bhe famine.

In connection wifch the famine, he pointß out that there are bhree classes in India who are the moßb severely affected, namely, the large merchants, tho cultivators, or tenant farmers, and the farm labourers—the latter being a large claaa dependent on the bwo first-named for Bupport. The firsb claaa feels bhe famine bo aome exbenb becauße prices are high. ' For instance, he adds, 'when I first wenb bo lodia four years ago wo were gebbing 33 seers of grain to the rupee, and before I lefb the same grain waa only 8 acerß to the rupee. That will give you and your readers aome idea of the difference in prices. The cultivator., or tenant farmers themselves, who chiefly depend on the grain, consequently suffer very severely, and aa for two or bhree years past we have had bad harvesbs, with bbc supplie. almoßb entirely used up, you will see thab ib ia übberly impossible for bhe poorer classes to obbain even enough grain to moderabely pacify bheir hunger. Ib ia the third claBS, however, who have suffered the most. They have absolutely nothing, for nob only is there very litble grain to be had indeed, bub laab year the seed which should have been pub in waa nob sown, becauae bhe ground was so hard bhab it waa utterly impoaeible fco plough ib, so thab all bheßo conditions tended to make ib much worse.'

' Whab ia the Governmenb doing to cope with this distress?'—'The .Governmenb is providing employment for as many people as are strong enough to do the work—in making roads and railways, sinking wella, making banks for waber opproachea ; in fact, anything in which general unskilled labour can be employed. The men are paid just a sufficient rate to enable them to buy whab bhey require to keep body and soul together. Bufc already the people are so emaciated by the bad times, caused by two previous bad aeaaons, thab in many casea bhey are unable bo do bhe work, and they geb weaker and weaker. In consequence, millionß are utterly unfib for work and they are fed in enclosures. <*

after their admission. Once they are inside these enclosures a sufficient quantity of grain is allowed for each parson, and ib is then boiled and given bo bhem in the shape of one meal a day, bub the children got bwo meals. One meal a day is tho uaual thing in India.'

' You havo seen one of these enclosures then, youraelf?'— * Yea, and the profound impression ib loft upon my mind will never be eradicated. Aboub two months ago, or juab beforo I sailed for Sydnoy, I visited ono of bhe largeßb enclosures in the Allahabad district. I Baw people who had come too lato on tho previous day to be admitted waiting for admiasion. Even then, early in the morning, 6ome of them wore dying of sheer starvation, and were placed in booths which had been erected to protecb them from the withering rays of the sun, They wero juab begging and crying oub—asking for a libtlo food to be given to them. Thore wero mothers with children in their anna almost too weak* bo stand. Their bodies wero so unnourished thab they had no food for tho babien. Older children were crying terribly. Thoae were mere skeletons ; bhe skin was drawn over bheir faces with parchmentlike Btiffne3S, and it was crinkled all over their bodies, without fche sign of flesh and blood upon them. Even the children who were juab able bo toddle about, if they saw a European or a better-class nabive, were boo weaic to balk, ond would point to their. mouths and stomachs in tho most piteous way. I am speaking of scenes I saw in Allahabad, ono of the large cities.'

Of the work boing done by fcho missionaries, Mr Fraser haa also something fco Bay. Ab Jubulpur, ono ot the principal cities of the central province, all bhe work is being done by bhe Church Misaionary Aaaociabion. The residenta have placed large auma of money ab the disposal of the missionary, who is adminiabering ib bo the beet possible advantage. ' The people are dealb wifch in much bhe same way aa in the eticloaures I spoke of,' he goes on. ' Bufc often they come down in such -a plight thab to give them anything approaching to solid food would be certain death. All we can do with tbem in these circumstances is to gently touch.thoir lipa wifch tho white of an egg, and then after a litble whilo thoir ato-sachs become stronger and they manage to retain some suitable nourishment. After bhat the people are supplied in pretty much the same way aa by the Government in the north-west province. Aa for the children,' he remarked, ' they are drafted into orphanages, and if we only had more money we could do a greab deal more good in thab direcbion. Bub bhab is another subject.

• There is one poinb I was almosb overlooking, although ib ia bhe mosb imporbanb. Ib ia the women who are Buffering most by the famine —the bebter class of women. Caste has still its hold upon the people. Hindoo women generally after their marriage never loave bheir rooms, and the roßulb is thab bhousanda upon thoußands of them die by starvation. We are overcoming bhab difficulty by handing to bhe ladiea of fche Zenana Mission fche means wherewith fco help fcheße unfortunate women. And, in addition to fchab, wo have also organised general work outside the ordinary mission work, by conveying food fco bhose who are shub up in their zenanaa, and cannob be reached in any other way.'

• Take anobhor pitiful inabance,' says the reverend genbleman, hiß face becoming clouded with the sad recollection .of bhe facb he ib aboub to relate. 'I have seen women,' he says, ' scraping among the dusb in fields where nob a blade of grass was to be seen.' - * And why?' aska the reporter. 'To gather up a few grass seeds,' he replies, * which fchey afterwards have ground and make into a cake, and then ib is barely large enough to appease the hunger of a very Bmall child. And to accomplish this thoy have to work from daylighb until bheir strength gives oub. And bhis,' he cou fcinueß, ' ia but a libtle of what was to be seen. In all the faminestricken d_Btrictß it was equally bad, and in Borne'wor.e than others.'

• How is miesion work generally getting on ?' 'The oublook ia very hopeful. The native Christians aro now being recognised as a body of men worbhy of respect and fully fitted to occupy the besb positions in the counbry. Recently in Allahabad, the people who are in no way favourable to missions spoke moat highly of the native Christian community, of their education, their ability, and absolute trustworthineea, more especially when they occupied positions of responsibility in the State. The prejudice againsc the Christian religion is still very marked, bufc amongst educated pooDle ib is perfectly clsar bhab bheir own faith is losing hold upon them, and, whilst they will not adopb the Christian faith in ita stead, the fact that some of the educated nativea are nob bound by the faith which held sway for so many years is a healthy sign. In Bengal ab ehe present tim 6 a number of educated Babus have formed a committee there, arid, are making a translation of the Bible.' Thia, Mr Fraaer explains, will do & greab deal oi good, aa fche natives are very auspicious, and have looked upon the translation of the Scriptures into the native tongue by Englishmen aa nob being as complete as ib ought bo be. They were alwoys afraid thab bhe Bngliah had left eomebhing out or added somebhing. Therefore fchey think that under fcbeß9 new circumstances they will have a translation of the Scriptures

• These enclosures, I may say,' he continued, ' are made sufficiently large to hold from 1,000 bo 3,000 people—men, women, and children. Ib is a pibiful sight bo see bhem both before fchey are admitted and

which is fully guaranteed. The charge for each Goapol is a rupee, and they sell very rapidly indeed, and ti .ere is do doubb bhat in the very noar fubur.o much good must resulb from ib.