ABSTRACT
IN CHAPTER XV we showed the uneven distribution of land in Yits’un. If the people depended upon their lands alone, about four-fifths of the households of the village would be on a very low level of subsistence. On the other hand, there are a few rich households that have accumulated considerable wealth from the land. This enables them not only to live but also to amass savings which may be invested as capital. There are two questions we can ask here. First, how do the poor find some productive work, besides agriculture, which does not take capital? In other words, how can they find an opportunity to sell their surplus labor? Second, how can the rich find an opportunity to invest their surplus capital in something besides agriculture? The chief solution of these two problems is found in local industry, which is the main subject under discussion in this part of the report. But the solutions to this problem are not confined to industry. Thus, before we come to our discussion of industry, we shall review briefly all other productive activities in the village.
