INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

A FEW GENERAL CRITICISMS. 133
all the commercial affairs of life; and political
economy adds the corollary, that the interference
of the State, by the importation of
food or of any other article, tends to thwart
and distnrb the ordinary operations of the
market, and thereby to introdnce elements of
disorganisation.
Now the question here suggests itself, Are we
to obey these laws in India until they prove
themselves true, while we look on numbers of
human beings dying of starvation? or are we
to prove these laws wrong by stepping in and
supplementing them 1 Should we determine
on the latter alternative, when shall we begin ?
We know well from experience that Indian
. grain-merchants do not sufficiently recognise
their own interests in the cases of famine
to import large enough supplies of food. It
may be that these merchants have not the
capital sufficient to cope with emergencies;
or that the apathy incidental to a tropical
climate prevents them taking that rapid
and decided action which is necessary. When,
then, should we commence to increase our supply?
Beforehand 1 Or shall we let things take