ECONOMIC TRENDS

WAGE TRENDS

The section particularly deals with wage rates paid to agricultural labourers, as wages in the different categories of  employment are governed by legislative measures.

Agricultural labourers, in Amravati district, received wage in kind in the past. [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Amravati Distirct, 1911:-

"The cotton picker is not paid in cash; the rate is from one-twentieth to one-tenth, according to the market; the twentieth is the old rate. If the first picking is a twentieth share, the second should be a tenth, the third is sometimes half, because one person can collect but a small quantity in a day at the last gathering... In cutting juari (jowar) a labourer's wage is on pula or bundle (sheaf) with the ears, to be chosen by himself. For cutting ears on the stalks two ordinary baskets for a man, and one for a woman, is the wage; each basket contains four seers of grain. A wheat-cutter's wage is two sheafs, yielding about four pounds, valued three annas. "]

The daily wages of a male worker ranged from four to eight annas, and those of a female worker from three to live annas in 1911. A mason received a monthly wage of Rs. 20 to Rs. 22 and a carpenter or blacksmith Rs. 22 to Rs. 30. The earnings of skilled workers in ginning and pressing factories were higher, viz., Rs. 28 per mensem for a blacksmith, Rs. 50 for a fitter or an overseer and Rs. 15 to Rs. 25 for a clerk.

In recent years, wages are mainly paid in cash though a few cases of payment in kind are also found. The general level of money wages has gone up. The following statement shows the rates of wages of casual labour in the district: -

During the last four years, wages of all classes of labour have increased considerably. The daily wages of skilled workers engaged in sowing, deep ploughing, threshing of grains, digging wells, etc., are from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 4. Agricultural labourers are also paid at the rate of Rs. 1.50 to Rs. 1.75 per day. Women  engaged in weeding cutting and harvesting operations are paid  between Re. I and Rs. l.25. for picking cotton and harvesting groundnut they are paid on the basis of the quantity of cotton picked and groundnut harvested. This rate varies from Rs. 1.50 to Rs. 2 per maund of 25 seers. [For details regarding farm wages refer to section on Rural wages given in Chapter 4.]

The system of employing annual servants (saldars) for agricultural work is still in vogue. A saldar, who is given daily food and a pair of dhotis, a shirt, a cap and a pair of shoes, is a fulltime servant. His annual earnings range from Rs. 300 to Rs. 600 depending upon the nature of work.

The Baluta system, viz., making annual payments in kind to village artisans, has been prevalent in the district since long. The baiutedars comprise barber, potter, shoe-maker, washerman, carpenter, blacksmith, sweeper, etc. The system is, however, on the decline. The agriculturist prefers to pay the artisans in cash according to the services rendered by them. He is reluctant to give them foodgrains because of the lucrative grain prices. This has rendered the economic position of some categories of the artisans very precarious.

Table No. 1 gives the minimum and maximum wage rates of agricultural labour as well as those of allied occupations at Achalpur and Daryapur.

Wage rates of most of the categories of labour mentioned in the table are low in the months of January, July and August because of the limited demand for their services. The rates go up in the months of October, November and February.

TABLE No. I

[Source-Tahsildars of Achalpur and Daryapur.] DAILY WAGE RATES IN RUPEES

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