Rob,

Yes, I'd like to see how hoarding linked up directly with famine. On something of this note, however, I came across a reference to hoarding of silver coins by Indian peasants in the period toward the end of WWI. It doesn't address the Bengal famine, of course, but apparently the peasantry did not like (trust?) paper currency. During periods of turbulence, they did engage in hoarding, at least on one significant occasion. There were probably more such periods, but Adam Tooze's, The Deluge (pp. 209-11) doesn't cover these. I'm curious as to whether the causality might be reversed--famine induces hoarding?

John

John F. Henry
Department of Economics
University of Missouri-Kansas City
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2449

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________________________________________
From: Societies for the History of Economics [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Rob Tye [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2015 5:51 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SHOE] Sen and the 1943 Bengal Famine

John,

In British India times, feudatory native rulers of India met under the
auspices of “The Chamber of Princes” to discuss problems of common interest

The agenda for November 8th 1943 presents the opinion of various state
members that “the shortage of small coins” was “mainly responsible for the
hoarding of food grains”

At least 22 states subsequently went on to issue emergency supplies of small
change, mostly in the form of cardboard tokens.

Sen does not seem to deal with this matter, nor does Mukerjee.

I agree the matter looks, prima facie, “suspicious”, but remain cautious
concerning who to suspect, and, of what?

Rob Tye, York , UK