Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 241, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1911 — The Drought in India. [ARTICLE]

The Drought in India.

The Indian climate is as stable as our own has recently become. Only on rare occasions does the weather afford a topic of conversation. But one of those rare occasions Is now with ns. The event dominating In* dlan rural life Is the monsoon, which Is expected In June and blows till September. Should the monsoon fall the crops perish and famine fa upon the people. This summer the rains have proved deplorably feeble. There Is still time for the crops to be saved* and as heavy clouds are generally re* ported, the situation is by no means hopeless. But there Is grave cause for anxiety. A shortage of rain is re* ported from 147 stations, and already there is serious trouble over prao* tlcally the whole of northwestern In* dla. One bright feature relieves the gen* oral blackness of the position. In the United Provinces and the Punjab Irrigation works have partially made up for the failure of rain. It happens that the spring snowfall In the Himalayas was exceptionally heavy, so that there Is plenty of water. It Is certain that the anxiety which has been felt In the Punjah these last few days will develop Into a demand for sew and more comprehensive Irrigation works.—London Globe.