'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1903-1904' [‎66r] (19/112)

of B 8 .
1903-1904]
SUMMARY,
Xlll
3 decrease
°theri
-st
Imperial revenue, rose by over Rs. 2 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . There was a small increase in the
Provincial receipts. Refunds showed a rise of over Rs. 2 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , those on sugar
alone amounting to Rs. 3 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . There was a decrease in refunds of Import
duty on re-exportation, but this decrease was merely an account one, as this
, branch of trade showed a considerable revival. Bonding transactions showed
importantly a large decrease in value, chiefly owing to a fall in sugar and kerosine oil. The
j conjj Customs receipts of other ports 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 showed a corresponding
lVm , v 18 ln \ improvement.
Vcr °ne laU j .
The net revenue of the Customs Department in Sind was larger by 4 Karachi and Sind
per cent, than that of the previous year. There was a very large decrease Ports ‘
in refunds of sugar duties. Both import and export duties contribute to the
: increase in the net receipts, which reached a total of over Rs. 33^ lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees .
most i
e ad of “ J/p,
- ie barges on
tar = e decrease „„
finished expend b3. The important feature of the land Customs administration during the Land Customs,
year was the establishment of a Customs frontier against Kathiawar from
January 1st, 1904. The total revenue from Land Customs nearly doubled
0 Mint dui owing to increased receipts on the Portuguese frontiers due to the better season.
Silver currencies The receipts on the Kathiawar frontier were nearly Rs. 6,000 during the first
W re-coinage of 1 three months,
belialf of tlie f, _ .
• 54. During the year a rumoured failure of the Chinese opium crop created Opium:
10111 a ^ ar ^ e ^ emanc ^ ^ or ^fdlwa opium for export to China, with the result that Presicenc V*
3 } 18 imports from the States to Bombay and exports from Bombay to China rose
very considerably and reached a total far above the average of the past decade.
The average price of opium, especially that of old opium, improved. The
of all other brai
financial result was an increase of over Rs. 31 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the Imperial revenue.
, e ^ e , As an item of excise the chief point of interest in connection with opium is
Es ^ ne C1 the apparent result of the new separate shop system. In the selection districts,
S * 0 ci 18 lnyi where the farming of the dispensing shops is let to a single contractor, the retail
se ot nearly fk p r i ce Leing fixed by Government, there was a general increase in the sales of
} Office. There f 0 pi umj amounting in four districts to over 1,000 lbs. In districts where the
sovereigns anl separate shop system is in force, and where in consequence there is no fixed
iries of currencyi maximum price, the high prices caused by the dealers resulted in a general
5 difficult to detect decrease in consumption. The result of the sales in all British districts was an
. a r. i ncrease °T 8,000 lbs., a fact which is due to the revival of prosperity. There
notes in the k was a]sQ a increase in the issues to Native States and in the sales
• notes for Rs. 1 of i oca i}y produced opium in Baroda. The total excise opium receipts rose by
;ed considerably, nearly Rs. 1 lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees .
shed seems to k
In bind the separate shop system for the sale of opium has not yet Sind,
been introduced. The consumption and Excise revenue showed a slight increase
during the year.
India.
mue demand am®
The figures*
3 previous y^
pd combined k
k31 indicates tk
*evious year.
trade during
i showed a
iturns do u
nly
»rt dat^
Rs,
s by over
ent. of ^ *
_ 55- Several events of' interest oocurred in connection with the adminis- Salt:
tration of the Salt Dapartment. At the end of the previous year the duty had | residenc y
been reduced from Es. 2-8-0 to Es. 2 per maund and it was anticipated Per '
that this would make salt considerably cheaper. This effect was actually
produced in the case of Baragra salt, but the unseasonable rain in May 1903
diminished the outturn of sea salt by 17 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of maunds or about 22 per cent.,
with the result that there was at the time some fear of a salt famine. The
crisis was tided over by giving increased facilities for manufacture and the
favourable manufacturing season has since replenished the stocks to some
extent. An attempt was made to introduce the use of Baragra salt into
districts which have been accustomed to use sea salt and depots were opened
at Bombay, Poona and Sholapur: but in spite of the smaller price of the
b 910—4 s - 1