England’s Benefits to India
There has been much criticism against Great Britain for her administration of India, much of which is based on a misunderstanding of the benefit England has been to India. For instance, in railways England has invested $1,420,000,000 in construction and equipment, with a mileage of nearly 32,500. First-class fare is only a penny a mile, with no extra charge for sleeping accommodations; while second-class accommodation is not much inferior, and the fare is a halfpenny a mile; third class passengers are carried for the fare of one farthing a mile. These railways have paid only about four and one half per cent of the investment. The postal department is another excellent thing in India. A letter can be carried from one end of the vast territory, half as large as Europe, to the other end, for one cent, and a post-card for one half cent, the last of which includes the card itself. These great railway lines have done much to ameliorate famine conditions.