'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1914-1915' [‎202v] (74/150)

Chapter IV.
PRODUCTION
AND
DISTRIBUTION.
Genera).
Central societies
and unions.
Agricultural
societies.
Non-agricuitural
societies.
Bombay Municipal
Gardens.
,g BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
- I 9 i 4 - I 9 i 5i
The province of Sind is not included in the above table because it is ordina '1
to be exempt from famine and the rules regarding suspensions and remission ' V S sidered
those in force 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. All the remissions and most of tlm ^ froni
shown in the above table were due to causes unconnected with scarcity. The S , US P ens '°ns
in which there was anything approaching scarcity were Poona and Shollpur, wher th districts
a partial failure of crops in some localities. Suspensions of land revenue wer^ Was
shown in the table but no relief works were found necessary nor was any fodder f grantecl as
outside the districts. In other districts where the crops were not so exceptional! 1 fr0ra
warrant the collection of large amounts of arrears m addition to the current f g ? 0c ! as to
there were substantial suspensions and remissions of arrears. ^ ears ^ em and
3.—Co-operative Societies.
For details see
the Annual Report on Co-operative Societies for the year 7914-15 and tables
Societies printed in Part II of the Statistics of British India
under Co-operative
1.—Presidency proper.
1. During the year ending 31st March 1915 the number of societies ofalf]-'
from 698 to 817, the membership from 66,704 to 84,600 and the working canltal
Rs. 65,79,994 to Rs. 81,12,319. In the course of the year 139 new societies were reL 1
and 20 old societies cancelled. I he total profit earned advanced from R s 1 h S ^
Rs. 2,47,438. The rate of progress was less rapid than in the two previous years omi t
the greater caution now exercised in registering new societies. ; 0
2. Of the 6 societies classed under this head- last year, one, the Satara U '
cancelled. The working capital of the remaining 5 societies rose from R s ig i 0 ' 1 ’ Was
Rs. 20,74,516. The share capital amounted to ^Rs. 4,38,939, deposits by mmbtrl 1 °
Rs. 1,95,591, loans and deposits by societies to Rs. 77,298 and loans and deposits h
non-members to Rs. 13,08,474. The Bombay Central Co-operative Bank made 407 ] ^
of an aggregate value of Rs. 10,22,267 and its recoveries amounted to Rs. 7,11 258 AuT
close_ of the year the total outstandings were Rs. 16,84,887. The net profit’ on the veaP
working was Rs. 38,252, of which Rs. 21,000 were utilized for paying a dividend of 6 "
cent., Rs. 6,500 were carried to the reserve fund and the remainder set aside for IT
payment of bonuses to borrowing societies. The branch of the Central Bank situated at
Baramati deals exclusively with a group of -29 societies situated in the suo-arcane-crmwi™
villages on the Nira Canal. . & tdue ^ rowin g
3. The number of societies classed as agricultural advanced during the year from <;68
to 674, their membership from 38,621 to 51,113 and their working capital from Rs 2802601
to R s- 35 , 30777 - Only Rs. 1,81,570 or 5 per cent, of the last figure represent loans from
Government as against 6£ per cent in the previous year. In 1910 the percentage was 20
Local deposits from members and non-members advanced from Rs. 8,71,249 to Rs.11,87660
their percentage of the working capital being 33-6 as against 31 in the previous year. The
~ ^ 1 restitutions rose from Rs. 15,96,667 to Rs. 19,33,642, a
decrease from 57 per cent, to 55 per cent. The share capital rose from Rs 8521 to
Rs. 15,436 and the reserve fund from Rs. 1,39,474 to Rs. 2,12,962. The Assistant Registrar
recently appointed to organise societies for the distribution of agricultural products was
engaged chiefly in preparatory work until the close of the year. The Thana dairy society
began work during the year and is now in a flourishing condition. The most successful of
the co-operative purchase societies was the Kelva Mahim society for the purchase of
manure.
4- The number of non-agricultural societies rose from 124 to 137, their membership
110m 26,472 to 3 /,739 anc l their working capital from Rs. 19,63,827 to Rs. 25,06,026.
.cans and deposits from non-members totalled Rs. 5,27,652 ancl deposits from members
s - ‘ , 49 , 779 - I he net profit earned rose from Rs. 75,610 to Rs. 1,03,702, A noteworthy
event was the establishment of 14 societies in the City of Bombay for the redemption of the
urban labouring classes from debt.
2.—Sind.
I lie number of societies at the beginning of the year was 17, one was closed during the
year ancl three new ones started, thus leaving 19 working at the end of the year. The
cance ation of the Digri society with its 601 members accounts for a falling off in total
mem ership from 1,902 to 1,484, though individually most societies show increases. The
aog ie g a t e capital of the societies rose from Rs. 50,857 to^" Rs. 60,265. So far there has
occurred not a single instance in which a Sind society has had recourse to law for the
iccovery of its clues or in which it has been compelled to write off any amount as a bad debt.
4.—Horticulture.
Public Gardens.
1. Eleven public gardens were maintained by the Bombay Municipality, including the
site of the temporary band-stand at Chowpatti. The total number of visitors to the Victoria
rc ens e rom 1,665,973 to 1,340,034. The decrease of 325,939 was chiefly due to