ABSTRACT
The wealth of Bombay, and the fortunes of its mill-owners and merchants, is built up on the basis of immigrant labour of two types. The millets which form the staple food of the Deccan are rich in bone and flesh-forming constituents, and from that hungry but healthy land Bombay draws its labourers for work in the docks and elsewhere for tasks requiring physical strength. Just as Bombay City in 1915 could show what was probably the worst housing in the world for urban workers, so the Bombay Deccan could, it appeared, show the most deplorable shelters for workers in the country. Meanwhile in the Deccan villages, after the labour force which is redundant during the slack period of the year has been drawn off to Bombay, what remains may prove insufficient during the busy weeks of the agricultural year, and the area under tillage and food production diminish in consequence.
