159
Southern Gujarat, however, presents another side of
this labour problem, the 'Hali system/ Her agriculture
is mostly1 carried on with the help of Halis, "The
Hali system prevailing in Surat District and parts of
Thana District/* writes the Collector of Surat, 4<is now
dying out, owing to labourers leaving the service of their
masters shortly after their marriage and before the debt
is paid up."2 In this specific aspect of the labour prob-
lem of South Gujarat too, Atgam affords an inviting
scope for study.
From the above remarks we have already had glimpses
of the nature of this problem in South Gujarat. The main
cause of the problem is scarcity. We shall also consider
the other reason, namely, the growing inefficiency of
hired labour,
SCARCITY OF LABOUR IN ATGAM
We shall first examine the causes that are responsible
for the scarcity of labour in the case of the village under
survey. From a minute enquiry on this subject, both
in its historical and present day aspects, we feel that the
following are the principal causes of this scarcity :
(1) The principal crops of this area, as we have seen,
are paddy and sugarcane. Both necessitate a large num-
ber of labourers in some of their processes of cultivation.
For instance, in the season of transplanting paddy, plant-
ing sugarcane or manufacturing gul out of the latter, there
is a great demand for labour. In other woods, the nature
of these two crops is such that there is a great seasonal
demand for labour every year.
(2) This scarcity of labour has been augmented because
some farmers have given up manual work. In this vil-
lage the Anavils, with rare exceptions, have retired from
I Out of 84302 Halts found In the Presidency m 1921, 57010 or about
67 per cent belong to Surat District. P. 223, para <62£, Census of
India, VoL VIII, Bom. Presidency, Part I. This shows to wfeat ex-
tent the agricultural organization of South Gujarat is based an the
Hail system.
'$ Land Revenue Administration Report, 1924-25, p. 39.