'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1914-1915' [‎173v] (16/150)

BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
Port Trusts:
Bombay,
Karachi
and Aden.
Cropped areas.
Agricultural
experiments.
vm
^‘ 4 %
P° rt rose ^
but the number of distressed native seamen conveyed to and from the
400 per cent, owing to the capture of prize-ships and the sinking 0 f
number of British vessels. One Marine Court of Inquiry was held dur'^
year. ln £
25. The receipts of the Bombay Port Trust amounted to the re
of over Rs. 1 crore Equivalent to ten million, or one hundred lakhs. Used especially in connection with money (rupees). , an excess of Rs. 3-9 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees over the previous year’/ ^
Rs. 98-8 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , hitherto the highest on record. The year’s working left ^ ° f
of Rs. 16 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees which was met by withdrawal from the reserve fund Tl^ ^
fund was further depleted to the extent of Rs. 27 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees on account
expenditure on the temporary cotton depot at Mazagaon and on relayin
inside Prince’s and Victoria Docks. The fund amounted to Rs. 867 lakl;
close of the year. A four per cent, debenture loan for Rs. 127 RU, „ Sattlle
• - • ... / was raised
for the construction of various new capital works. Progress was made fth
construction of warehouses and sidings in the docks, the MazamionSeR
reclamation scheme and the Port Trust railway ; the pumping station and \)
Hughes dry dock were completed during the year. The receipts and expend/ ?
of the Karachi Port Trust showed a further decline. The reserve fund ^
however, increased by a further addition of Rs. 5 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees from the Trust’s bala^'
Considerable sums were expended on the Mansfield import yard, the Thol
produce yard and the West Wharfage scheme. Improvements were made in
other wharves and yards, the construction of two over-bridges was in progress the
Port Trust village was near completion at the end of the year and the widening of
the Napier Mole bridge was completed. • There was a decline of nearly one
million in the tonnage of ships, excluding Government vessels, which visited the
port of Aden, and there was a corresponding decline in both the receipts and
expenditure of the Port Trust.
26. There was an increase of 4796 acres in the area for which statistics are
returned. The gross and net cropped areas both rose by about 34 per cent, 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 and were the highest on record since 1894-95. i'herewas
a slight increase in the area under food-crops. The. increase in Sind was more
considerable and amounted to 25 per cent, above the average. The area under
cotton rose by 77 per cent, 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 and remained stationary in
Sind. Thus the extension of the cultivation of cotton received a decided check
owing to the fall in prices. The cultivation of wheat advanced by 10 per cent,
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 and by 46 per cent, in Sind, owing to the prospects of high
prices, coupled with the fall in the price of cotton. The irrigated area rose by
5 per cent, 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 and by 7 per cent, in Sind. Owing to the
high rainfall the irrigation from Government canals decreased while the same
cause led to a considerable increase in the irrigation from tanks. The increase
in Sina was due to the favourable inundation. In that province the ratio of the
irrigated area to the net cropped area was nearly 82 per cent., while it was only
3 a P er cent, 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.
27. A comprehensive review of the present position of the Agricultural
Department was given in last year’s summary, and there is not much to add to it
The most notable improvements effected by the department during the year were
in the cultivation of sugar and in the subsequent treatment of the cane. These
improvements are finding favour amongst the cultivators and the requisite
implements for cultivation find a ready sale. A start was made during the year
m introducing a scheme for providing a reserve of fodder in the tracts where it 1
likely to be needed. The question of the conservation of soil received some
attention and experiments were initiated to this end. Much progress was ma e
in inducing cultivators to steep jowdn seed in copper sulphate as a preven
t