AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

WAGES

WAGES.—Cultivating labourers and their dependents constituted about nine per cent. of the agricultural population of the district in 1951. Of these nearly 45 per cent. were self-supporting persons and earning dependents. They are employed by the cultivators to do some casual work (as in times of busy season), to perform particular agricultural operation or operations, to do farm work throughout the year etc. This section purports to analyse the differences in wages paid to these labourers for different kinds of work, consideration being given to the differences in wage rates prevailing in three years, 1938-39 (pre-war); 1948-49 (post-war); and 1956-57.

Casual labour.

The following table shows the payment of wages based on sex and age in different talukas of the district:—

TABLE No. 41.

RATES OF WAGES ACCORDING TO TYPE OF LABOUR IN KOLHAPUR DISTRICT (DAILY WAGE RATES IN CASH DURING).

* One meal.

† Or three seers of paddy.

continued.

* One meal.

† Or three seers of paddy.

During the pre-war period, man-labour was available at four annas per day in most of the talukas. Only in exceptional cases it was either below this limit (as at Gadhinglaj) or above (as at Shirol). The post-war and present periods have shown a rise up to four times the pre-war level. In some cases, as at Panhala Mahal, the current rate reported was as high as Rs. 1-8-0; this can be regarded as almost double the post-war rate and about six times as high as the pre-war rate.

Female labour is employed mostly for light work and is paid less than male labour. The pre-war rate varied from place to place between two annas and four annas. The lowest was at Gadhinglaj, being Re. 0-1-6 only. The wage rate in 1956-57 varied from eight to twelve annas. In some places it was about a rupee.

Child labour is employed naturally for light work. The prewar rate varied between two annas and four annas except in special cases, as at Gadhinglaj, where the wage rate reported was as low as Re. 0-1-6. The current wage rate varied from eight annas to twelve annas. There was no appreciable difference between the post-war and current rates of child labour in most of the talukas.

Wages according to operations.

Leaving aside sugarcane operations which are generally paid better, operations like threshing, harvesting or working implements were paid currently at a rate varying between twelve annas and a rupee and, in exceptional cases, up to two rupees. The highest wage, which stood at three rupees was reported from Gagan Bavda Mahal. The heavy manual work involved in these operations is dons only by male labour. The pre-war rates for such operations varied between three and eight annas per day except in some places like Shirol taluka or Gagan Bavda mahal where the rates varied between eight annas and a rupee and a quarter.

Contract labour for the special operations required for the sugarcane crop is paid at rates much higher than those for above operations. Boiling operations are paid the highest rate which went up to five rupee in certain places in 1956-57. The pre-war rate of wages for such operations varied between half a rupee and a rupee and a half. The wage rates for other sugarcane operations like harvesting, crushing etc., varied from Re. 1 to Rs. 2 in 1956-57.

Annual Servants.

Saldars.

Annual servants (saldars) are employed by farmers whose holdings are large enough to provide continuous work through- out the year. Very often the annual servant is a skilled worker and is available for work at any time and even takes initiative in organizing general farm work. In most cases, the saldar stays with the farmer and is treated as a member of the family.

Wages to annual servants are generally paid partly in cash and partly in kind. Adult male servants were paid in the prewar period in cash (Rs. 50 to Rs. 100) in different talukas whilst in 1956-57 cash rate varied between Rs. 150 and Rs. 225. In addition to the cash payment, these servants are generally given food, clothing, footwear, tea and bedding in the form of a blanket etc. Where no payment in kind is promised, the cash payment is much more. The cash payment for child (boy) in the pre-war period was reported to have been varying from Rs. 20 to Rs. 50 whilst in 1956-57 it varied from Rs. 50 to Rs. 100. These wages are paid either in advance or by instalments. The practice of employing a boy as a saldar is, however, not very common. The following table shows the payments made to these saldars in different periods in different talukas: —

TABLE No. 42.

 PAYMENT TO ANNUAL SERVANTS (SALDARS) IN KOLHAPUR DISTRICT.

Balutedars.

There was a time when the village balutas or artisans were considered to be the backbone of our village economy. In spite of the decay of the village economy in its old forms the baluta system has not disappeared. The necessity of these village artisans is naturally felt more in villages which are far away from towns and where the means of communication are scanty. The conspicuous ones among them are the carpenter, the blacksmith, the cobbler and the barber.

In almost all the talukas, these balutedars are paid in kind, the quantity of grain given being about one Bengali maund. In Shirol, the same was reported to be much higher. In Ajra Mahal, carpenters and blacksmiths were paid in cash (between three and four rupees per day). In some talukas, like Hatkanangle, payments are made both in cash and kind. The payment is made in kind (grain) at the time of harvest. It is interesting to note that the quantity of grain paid at present is not. very different from what was paid in the pre-war or post-war period. This is understandable in view of the high prices of grain today.

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