'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1902-1903' [‎50v] (94/106)

Chap. V. 70
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[1902-1903,
FINANCIAL
REVIEW.
Changes in the
system.
Brewery.
Consumption o£
country spirit.
Number of trees
tapped for extraction
of teddy.
Shops for the sale of
intoxicating drugs.
Spirit and malt
liquor of Indian
manufacture excised
at tariff rates.
Financial results.
Incidence of A'bkari
taxation.
Expenditure.
Change of system.
Revenue.
Liquor.
10- Excise.
For details tide Appendices to the Annual Report on A'bkdri Administration for 1902-1903 and Tables Nos. 13
16 under V.—Excise appended to the Financial and Commercial Statistics of British India for 1903.
1 . As it has been decided to make the A'bkdri year correspond with the financial year, the
following report deals with the eight months ending 31st -March 1903 only.
2 . The system of administration remained unaltered except in the Belgaum District, where
a new system was experimentally introduced with effect from August 1st,^ 1902, under which
the exclusive privilege of manufacture and supply of country spirits is given to the tenderer
who offers to supply spirit of the sanctioned strengths at the lowest rates. . The spirit must
be manufactured at the Gfovernment Central Distillery and supplied to retail vendors at the
fixed rates from the Distillery or one of the approved depots. The privilege of retail vend
of liquor at each shop or group of shops is disposed of by public auction, the retail vendors being
bound to obtain their supplies from the contract distiller only, but not being bound in selling the
spirit to any fixed maxima prices.
The system for the realization of the revenue from toddy remained the same as in the
previous year. There were no material changes in the hemp drugs arrangements 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. during the year under report.
3. The only brewery at work was that at Ddpuri near Poona.
4. The total sales of country spirit for the eight months ending March 31st, 1903, were more
by 127,588 gallons of 25° U. P. than the proportionate sales for the eight months of the previous
year. The districts showing the chief increases were Khandesh (69,9 51 gallons), Bombay (28 703
gallons), Paneh Mahals (7,974 gallons), and Nasik (6,600 gallons). There was a marked decrease
however, of 6,066 gallons in the Belgaum District, attributable to the new system.
5. The number of toddy trees tapped in the eight months ending March 31st decreased by
5,780, the decrease being chiefly in Surat and Sholdpar. The toddy extracted was used for con
sumption in the raw state exclusively everywhere except in Bombay and the districts of Kanara
and Ratnagiri, where it was partly distilled into spirit. The total quantity of spirit distilled
during the eight months was 19,582 gallons more than for a proportional period of the previous
year.
6 . The number of shops licensed for the retail vend of intoxicating drugs was 523 against
538 in the preceding year and the .quantity sold 21,192 seers as against 20,405 seers for’eight
months of the previous year.
7. The consumption of spirits manufactured in India paying duty at higher rates than
ordinary country spirits amounted to 409,969 gallons, compared with 49 7,103 gallons for a propor
tional period of the previous year.
8 . The total realizations during the period under report exceeded those of the eight months
of the previous year by Rs. 2,93,929. Ihe principal items showing increases were (i) still-head
duty on country spirits (Rs. 2,45,547); (ii) deficiency in minimum guaranteed revenue on
account of still-head duty (Rs. 78,914) ; (iii) license fees for sale of country spirit (Rs. 31,508);
(iv) tree-tax on trees tapped for distillation (Rs. 8,946), and (v) tree-tax on trees tapped for sale
of toddy and its distillation (Rs. 11,168).
9. . The average of Abkari taxation per head of population was 6 annas and 2 pies, as com
pared with 5 annas and 10 pies, the average for the eight months of the preceding five years.
-n l ^'^ e ^ aiges A kkari Department are combined in the accounts of the Opium
department. The total expenditure of the Excise Department, however, exclusive of refunds and
drawbacks tor the eight months under report was Rs. 2,82,250 against Rs. 2,83,271 in the
eight months of the preceding year, the decrease occurring principally under the head of sup
plies and service and travelling allowances. This is exclusive of Rs. 4,98,280 annually paid
for the cost of the police establishment employed on Abkari and Opium duties and in compensa-
Q It Mu ? lClpa !^ £o y loss o£ reverm e previously derived by it from shop licenses
and to Native States, whose Abkdri rights have been leased or acquired.
Sind.
1 .
were
The only changes winch occurred in the system of administering the A'bkari revenue
.g the
discontinued. ^ “ Sin ^ ° n bhdng ex P orte l t° Baluchistan from Sind was
amounted^Rs^S 43 nTwt'l ^ IWia0e ^ the eight mont},s ,inder report from all sourcee
312 and 130 as ao-ainst^309^nd^1^ eountr y an ^ foreign liquor was respectively
.ici,. n,„ a r.x J 5 r„„»LTfirs ^
year Rs. 52,242 as compared with Rs. 52,881 in the previous yeTr. pi0portlonate1 ^ for a W]0i