456 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Adam Smith it is the adoption of the law of primogeniture chiefly due to the exigencies of a military life that leads to the creation and preservation of large holdings. While it is the adoption of the law of equal sub-division necessitated by the comparatively peaceful career of a nation that gives rise to small holdings. He says : —
“When land like moveables is considered as the means only of subsistence and enjoyment, the natural law of succession divides it like them among all the children of the family ; of all of whom the subsistence and enjoyment may be aupposed equally dear to the father, [thus tending to have small holdings]. But when land was considered as the means, not of subsistence merely, but of power and protection it was thought better that it should descend undivided to one. In those disorderly times……. to divide it was to ruin it, and to expose every part of it to be opposed and swallowed up by its neighbours. The law of primogeniture, therefore came to take place in the succession of landed estates
[thus tending to preserve large holdings]” [1]
England is, therefore, a country of large holdings. Post-Revolutionary France is a country of small holdings. So are Holland and Denmark. Turning to India, we find holdings of the following size held separate and direct for the years 1896-97 and 1900-01 :
Average area of holdings in acres
Years Assam Bombay Central Provinces Madras
1896-97 .. 3.37 24.07 17 7
1900-01 .. 3.02 23.9 48 7
Data, more recent, more exact, though from more restricted area, is available from the Baroda State. [2] Statistics of land holdings in the State are summarised in bighas in the following table : [3]
Survey No. into which it is divided
Number of Khatedars
Average under Khatedar
Average area per Survey No.
Name of the District
Total Agricultural land
Baroda .. 17,17,319 4,30,601 107,638 15—19—2 4
Kadi .. 25,13,982 5,89,687 141,145 17—16—5 4¼
Naosari .. 10,46,176 2,16,748 52,652 19—17—8 4
Amveli .. 9,72,040 55,635 17,214 36—9—7 3¼ Total .. 82,49,517 12,92,671 318,649 17—10—10 3 [7] / 8
(8 bighas = 5 acres)
1.Wealth of Nations. Bk. III Ch. 11.
2.Report of the Committee appointed to make proposals on the Consolidation of Small and Scattered holdings in the Baroda State, 1917. This will be throughout referred to as R.B.C.
- ibid., p. 3