‘REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1887-88’ [‎141v] (289/531)

190
BOMBAY ADMINISTBATION REPORT.
[1887-88.
Chap- V-
FINANCIAL
REVIEW-
Provincial Receipts.
Expenditure.
Miscellaneous.
The total gross and net provincial receipts were as follow :—
Receipts.
1S86-87.
1887-S8.
Increase.
Rs.
Rs.
Rs.
Gross
Deduct —
... 21,352
23,124
1,772
Refunds
... ... 818
878
60
Net ... 20,534
22,246
1,712
The principal items which contributed to the increase were warehouse rents, transhipment
fees and fees for amendment and duplicate copies.
Under the new Provincial contract which came into force at the commencement of
1887-88, all expenditure on Customs is classed as Imperial. In previous years the ex
-penditure was treated as wholly Provincial. The total expenditure amounted to Rs. 3,12 507
or Es. 902 less than in 1886-87. There was a decrease of Its. 9,980 under the head ’of'the
pay of the Collector of Customs owing to the amalgamation of the appointments of that
officer and the Collector of Land Revenue and Superintendent of Stamps and Stationery at
Bombay, in accordance with the recommendation of the Finance Committee; and an increase
of Rs. 4,561 in the expenditure on the salaries of Assistant Collectors in consequence of the
appointment of a covenanted Assistant to the Collector, also in accordance with the recom
mendations of the Committee. An increase of Rs. 7,285 also occurred in the cost of subor
dinate Customs establishments, owing to the strengthening of the gauging establishment
rendered necessary by the Tariff Act of 1887.
The Portuguese Government have not yet asked for a settlement of their share of
common customs for the 7th and 8th years of the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty, i.e. } 1886-87
and 1887-88. The number of cases in which penalties were inflicted under Section 167 of
the Sea Customs Act was 357 against 831 in the previous year. The number of passengers
whose embarkation on and landing from steamers and square-rigged vessels under the
Native Passenger Ships Act was supervised by the Customs Preventive Department was
654,019 against 884,577 in 1886-87. The decrease occurred in the traffic with the South
Konkan and Goa. One of the rival lines of steamers, engaged in this traffic, was disorganized
by the death of the principal owner : diminution of competition enabled the other com
pany to maintain a high rate of fares, and this probably, as well as the diversion of some of
the traffic to the Southern Maratha Railway, had the effect of lessening the number of
passengers. One prosecution was instituted under the Act, but it was ultimately abandoned.
Imperial receipts.
Port of Karachi.
The following statement shows the imperial customs receipts :—
Import duty ...
Export duty ...
Total
Refunds and Drawback
Net Revenue
1886-87.
1887-88.
Decrease in
1887-88 as
compared
with 1886-87.
..Rs.
...Rs.
5,58,539
1,02,000
5,34,796
84,030
23,743
17,970
...Rs.
...Rs.
6,60,539
9,063
6,18,826
7,971
41,713
1,092
...Rs.
6,51,476
6,10,855
40,621
The decrease in the realizations of import duty was chiefly due to the preference shown
by natives for good Bombay spirit over inferior brandies. From August 1887 to March 1888
no less than 14,000 gallons of country spirit were for the first time imported from Bombay,
1 he decrease in the receipts from export duty resulted from a diminution in the exports of
rice the only article liable to duty on export—to the United Kingdom, France and Persia.
Provincial receipts The gross provincial customs receipts fell from Rs. 17,196 in 1886-87 to Rs. 14,089 in
the year under review, while the refunds also diminished from Rs. 709 to Rs. 152, so that
the net revenue decreased from Rs. 16,487 to Rs. 13,937.
Expenditure. The customs expenditure amounted to Rs. 39,440 against Rs. 38,357 in the previous
*
Land Customs.
. ^ receipts under this head in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper during 1887-88 consisted of
a smg e i em of Rs. 9,000, being the contribution received from the Dharampor State on
accoun o ciauth (one-fourth share of revenue) referred to in the last report. All other
i ems, o or revenue and expenditure, have disappeared under the operation of the
Customs Convention with Cambay and Janjira.
Scales and rates of
duty.
fnr t!? 8 , 6 Wa f m ? de dm ' in g year 1887-88 in the number or location of the s<
1 i - 1 ® m< n t opium, or in the rates of duty. The latter remained at Rs. 650
x n?? 11 * 1 • ln enc J ec Jf or export to China and other foreign countries, and Rs. 700
•it tbo UI1 x for local consumption in the Bombay Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. . The ratesle
S a J me re were, as usual, Rs. 25 per chest higher in each case.