AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

RURAL WAGES

In Ratnagiri district, cultivating labourers as a whole constitute a very small proportion of the total agricultural population, due to the existence of a very high proportion of tenant cultivators who are responsible for a low average of land holding for the district. An average cultivator, therefore, tries to manage his land without the help of hired labour. Shortage of labour, however, is felt when transplanting commences in the busy season and labourers have to be hired. They are generally recruited from the village itself or from nearby villages. The following paragraphs analyse the differences in wages paid to these labourers for different types of work in the years 1938-39, 1948-49 and 1957-58.

Casual Labour.

Casual labour is employed as and when farm work arises. Generally men are employed for heavy work and women and children for lighter work. Casual labour is usually recruited on a daily wage basis. Payment of cash wages is in vouge in Sangameshwar, Rajapur, Mandangad, Khed, Guhagar, Deogad, and Chiplun talukas. In addition, tobacco for smoking is supplied in some talukas. Tea and meals are seldom provided. Wages in these talukas, however, were not uniform. In the case of male labour, the wage rate varied between annas six and annas eight in the pre-war period. In the post-war year 1948-49, this variation was more pronounced, the wages varying between annas twelve and one and a half rupees, the latter being more prevalent in several talukas, the highest reported being Rs. 2-8-0 in Guhagar taluka. The rate in 1957 varied between Re. 1 and Rs. 2, Rs. 1-8-0 being more common. Female labour was paid less than male labour. The pre-war rate varied between annas four and annas six; post-war rate varied between annas ten and a rupee except in Guhagar where females were paid as high as Rs. 1-8-0. In recent years the rate has, however been higher viz., Rs. 1-8-0 in Deogad taluka and Rs. 1-4-0 in Mandangad taluka. In the remaining talukas, it has varied between annas twelve and a rupee. Child labour is paid at still lower rates which varied between annas three and annas five in 1938-39, annas five and annas ten in 1948-49. It was reported to he Re. 1 in Rajapur and Guhagar. Though the rate in recent years has varied from taluka to taluka, it does not show a significant departure from the rate prevalent in 1948-49. No child labour was reported from Mandangad.

In Lanje and Dapoli, the usual practice was to pay wages partly in cash and partly in kind; a meal at times was also served which formed part of a contract. In Kankavli, Kudal, Malvan, Vengurla, Sawantwadi and Ratnagiri talukas wages are paid in cash or in land. In addition, the employees usually receive tea, food, tobacco for smoking, etc., though this is seldom a condition of employment. Cash wages for males in 1938-39, 1948-49 and in 1957, in most of these talukas were uniformly annas 12, Rs. 1-8-0 and Rs. 1-8-0 respectively. Wages in kind were paid usually at the rate of two and a half to three payalees [A payalee is equivalent to about six pounds of grain.], two payalees and one and a half payalees of food-grains (such as paddy, nagli, harik, etc.) respectively. Women were paid at annas eight, Re. 1 and Re. 1 respectively. The quantity of grain given in lieu of cash, however, varied from taluka to taluka. In the pre-war year it was about two payalees, in the immediate postwar years one and a quarter payalees and only one payalee in 1957. Cash wages for child labour were annas six (annas eight in Malvan only) in 1938-39, the corresponding wage in kind, however, varied from one and a half to two payalees. Cash wages in 1948-49 were paid at annas 12 while the wages in kind varied between one and one and three quarters of a payalee. The rate (both in cash and in kind) in 1957 was more or less the same as that for females. It may be said broadly that though cash wages have gone up in recent years, considerably in some instances, real wages (wages in kind) have not shown a commensurate increase. This is quite understandable in view of the high prices of grain prevailing in recent years.

Wages according to operations. [lnformation for Dapoli taluka was not available.]

Labourers are sometimes employed to do specific agricultural opera- tions, e.g., operating implements, harvesting, etc. In most of the talukas cash wages are given. In addition, tobacco for smoking is given in some places. In Kankavli, Kudal, Malvan, Vengurla, Sawantwadi and Khed talukas male and female labour was paid, in 1938-39, annas 12 and annas eight respectively for harvesting cereal crops and threshing out grains. These rates rose to Rs. 1-8-0 and Re. 1 in the post-war years and have remained more or less constant since then. Guhagar taluka is, however, an exception where respective rates were Rs. 2-8-0 and Rs. 1-8-0 in 1948-49 and Rs. 2 and Re. 1 in 1957. Wages for operating implements (e.g. ploughing, sowing, etc.) ranged between Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 in 1938-39 and rose to Rs. 5 in 1948-49 and have since then remained almost at that level. Labourers in these talukas have to make their own arrangements for bullocks and implements. In the remaining talukas the rates and practices were found to be varying. In Ratnagiri the system of payment according to operation is not in vogue; labourers engaged for this work are treated and paid almost like casual labourers. In Lanje and and Rajapur, workers are paid at comparatively lower rates as they are served usually with the afternoon meals. For threshing out grains, only meals are served along with pan (betel-leaves) and supari (betel -nut) at Lanje. In sangameshwar, Mandangad, Deogad and Chiplun talukas the following ranges of variation have been recorded for three different years.

Animal Servants.

Saldars.

Very few labourers are employed on yearly basis. In Khed taluka, this practice is almost conspicuous by its absence while little information in this respect was forthcoming from Guhagar taluka. In other places annual servants are usually employed by well-to-do farmers who have agricultural holdings large enough to provide continuous work throughout the year. Very often the annual servant is a skilled worker, available for work at any time; he even takes initiative in organising general farm work. The annual wage of a saldar is not the same in all the talukas. However, an increase of about four times has been recorded in recent years over the wages prevalent in 1938-39. Wages are usually paid partly in cash and partly in kind. In Rajapur taluka, however, a cash wage of Rs. 400 Rs. 450, with no other facilities is being paid since 1948-49. The alternative rate is Rs. 100 to Rs. 125 with meals, tea, clothing, shoes, bedding, pan supari, etc. In Sangameshwar the annual wage in recent years has been Rs. 100; in addition, the worker is paid daily Re. 1, being the cost of food, tea, smoking tobacco, etc.

In the southern talukas of Kankavli, Malvan, Kudal, Vengurla and Sawantwadi, however, the conditions of annual servants appear to have been almost uniform since 1938-39. They also appear to be much better off than their confreres in other talukas. A saldar received about Rs. 60 in 1938-39; since 1948-49, he has been receiving Rs. 150 to Rs. 200. In addition, he has always received facilities like tea, meals, bidis, a pair of dhoties (or pyjama) and jackets. bedding, etc. In the remaining talukas the annual cash wage has seldom exceeded Rs. 125 in recent years; other facilities provided are comparatively few. In several instances, only meals, smoking, tobacco and tea are provided; clothing is rarely supplied.

Balutedars.

The village artisans (balutedars) were once considered as the backbone of the village economy and in spite of its decay in recent times the baluta system has not altogether disappeared from the district. The necessity of these artisans is naturally felt more in villages which are far away from towns and where the means of communications are very difficult. Usually they are paid annually for the services rendered by them. The carpenter (sutar), the blacksmith (lohar), the cobbler (chambhar), and the barber (nhavi) are the conspicuous ones among them. The carpenter makes arrangement for the supply of a pair of bullocks (for farm work only), ploughs and a plank every year. The blacksmith supplies and repairs farm implements made of iron and steel. In Rajapur and Lanje talukas the carpenter himself does the job of a blacksmith. The cobbler supplies and repairs leather mhots, shoes, chappals, whips, etc. The job of a barber is shaving and hair-dressing.

The system of employing balutedars does not seem to find much favour with the local farmers. In Deogad, Rajapur, Sangameshwar, Dapoli, Ratnagiri, Guhagar and Khed talukas they engage these village artisans as and when work arises, and pay them usually in cash at daily rates. In Mandangad, this system was in vogue till about 1948-49, after which it seems to have gradually fallen in disuse. Payment used to be made in kind (usually paddy), which still forms the basis of employment in Lanje mahal and the southern talukas of Kankavli, Malvan, Kudal, Vengurla and Sawantwadi. In the latter four talukas the pre-war rate for the village carpenter was 16 seers of grain (24 seers in Malvan); since 1948-49, however, it has remained at as high as 32 seers. In the case of barber the rate per head has risen from eight seers to 16 seers (12 seers in Malvan). Baluta system is not observed in the last three talukas in so far as the village blacksmith and cobbler are concerned. In Kankavli, the rate is the highest and rose from 24 seers to 40 seers in recent years. The blacksmith supplied four sickles and four plough blades for 32 seers in 1938-39 and is doing so since 1948-49 for 40 seers. The carpenter's wage rose from 24 seers to 40 seers, and that of the barber from 12 seers to 16 seers. The cobbler received (in Lanje also) 16 seers during pre-war and post-war periods and 20 seers afterwards. In Chiplun, however, those artisans are usually paid in cash. Yearly payment to carpenter, blacksmith, cobbler and barber, was Rs. 18, Rs. 12, Rs. 18 and Rs. 12 in 1938-39 and Rs. 25, Rs. 20, Rs. 24 and Rs. 25 in 1948-49 respectively.

TABLE No. 37.

AGRICULTURAL WAGES (TALUKAWISE) IN RATNAGIRI DISTRICT 1955-56.

Note.-The data relate to August 1955, Normal number of working hours Was eight.

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